TikToker undergoes traditional cleansing after filming Oloolu masquerade procession

A female TikTok user, said to be Wasilat, narrowly escaped death after allegedly recording a procession linked to the annual Oloolu Masquerade Festival in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The incident, which has gone viral on social media, sparked widespread debate after videos showed the woman undergoing traditional cleansing rites at the Oloolu compound.

Speaking with PUNCH Online on Monday, Chief Adeola Oloko, the spokesperson of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, said the woman did not record the sacred Oloolu masquerade itself but filmed Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the Oloolu tradition.

He said the traditional custodians confirmed that the woman captured the procession while it was moving through the Ibadan axis.

“She did not capture Oloolu; she mistook it for Alawo. We contacted the Mogaji of the Oloolu compound, and he confirmed that a woman who mistook Alawo of Oloolu for the real Oloolu masquerade captured it on the street.,” Oloko said.

He added that shortly after uploading the footage, the woman reportedly developed unusual health challenges, prompting her family to seek help from the traditional custodians.

“After posting it, she realised the blood in her body began to dry. So her family reached out to the Oloolu people immediately, and they attended to her in accordance with the tradition of the land.

“We have told people to obey simple instructions; women are not supposed to see Oloolu, but out of curiosity, she disobeyed,” he said.

Oloko, however, said he could not verify claims circulating on social media that the woman disguised herself as a man to secretly record the procession.

“I cannot confirm she disguised herself as a man. Those are accounts on social media. But she took the footage or photo on the street,” he added.