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For years, Mzbel has carried one of the darkest chapters of her life, but now the veteran musician is speaking openly about the trauma, the blame and the public narrative that followed.
In an emotional interview with broadcaster Kafui Dey, the celebrated singer reflected on the armed robbery and sexual assault she experienced at her residence, revealing how the aftermath became another painful battle.
Instead of receiving sympathy and support, Mzbel recalled facing harsh judgment from sections of the public, including neighbours and media outlets who allegedly suggested that her clothing and the low wall around her home contributed to the attack.
According to the musician, that argument completely misses the point.
Mzbel strongly rejected the idea that a person’s clothing can ever be used to justify violence against them. She explained that whether she was wearing a short skirt, shorts or anything else while rehearsing in the privacy of her own home, responsibility for the crime belonged to the people who committed it.
Her point was blunt: even if she had been completely naked inside her own living room, that would never give anyone the right to break into her home and harm her.
The singer also took aim at the media’s role in shaping public perception of her throughout her career.
Mzbel said the press helped construct an exaggerated, fearless and larger-than-life image around her, while failing to recognise the vulnerable human being behind the public persona.
That distinction, she suggested, became painfully clear when she needed compassion most.
Instead of being treated as someone who had endured a traumatic experience, she felt she was viewed through the lens of the controversial celebrity image that had been created around her.
Her decision to revisit the experience is therefore about more than simply telling an old story. It is a challenge to the culture of victim-blaming that often creeps into conversations about sexual violence.
Clothes are not consent. A low wall is not an invitation. And being a public figure does not make someone less deserving of empathy.
For Mzbel, reclaiming her story means making one thing unmistakably clear: the responsibility for a crime belongs to the person who commits it, not the person who suffers it.
