An Ibadan-based TikTok user has denied filming the revered Oloolu masquerade and faulted reports claiming she died after the incident went viral.
According to a report by 'Vanguard Newspaper', the woman, named Wasilat, addressed the issue on Monday during Lagelu FM’s 'Ibi Aye N Lo' show with host Adesoye Omotosho.
“I am alive. I never recorded the Oloolu masquerade. God forbid I’m linked to it. I did not film Oloolu,” she said.
She narrated that last Thursday in the Oremeji area, she visited her shop but did not open because the area was already closed. She said she noticed a crowd and an Amotekun vehicle, so she captured the scene and uploaded it. She stressed that the Oloolu masquerade did not use that route.
“All the comments on TikTok told me to take it down. By Friday, some people came to my shop,” she stated. “I don’t know where that story came from. Only God will judge.”
The video triggered debate online after clips emerged of the creator taking part in cleansing rites at the Oloolu family house.
Chief Adeola Oloko, who speaks for the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, said the woman did not record the Oloolu masquerade. According to him, she filmed Alawo Oloolu by mistake, a personality connected to the tradition.
“We reached out to the Mogaji of the Oloolu compound. He confirmed that a lady who confused Alawo with the main Oloolu masquerade made the recording on the street,” Oloko explained.
He noted that after the clip was shared, the family reported that she took ill and contacted the custodians. Traditional rites were then carried out.
“Women are barred from seeing Oloolu. That rule is well known. But she acted out of curiosity,” he added.
Footage online showed the woman with her hair shaved, dressed in red, and joining the rituals. It was reported that large snails and a ram were used, while a goat was killed during the exercise.
The Oloolu Festival is marked yearly by the Oloolu lineage in Ibadan. The event includes prayers, offerings, drumming and processions to honour ancestors and seek peace and progress. Custodians say certain parts are sacred and must not be recorded, with strict prohibitions for women.