A female TikTok user in Ibadan was taken for traditional cleansing after she recorded a procession linked to the annual Oloolu Masquerade Festival.
According to a report by Punch Newspaper, videos of the woman performing rites at the Oloolu family compound surfaced online last weekend and drew wide attention.
Chief Adeola Oloko, spokesperson for the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, said the woman did not film the Oloolu masquerade itself but Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the tradition. He stated that custodians of the compound confirmed she captured the procession on a street in Ibadan.
Oloko explained that after the video was posted, the woman’s family noticed she became ill and reached out to the traditional leaders for help.
“After she posted it, she felt her blood was drying up. Her family immediately contacted the Oloolu people, and they attended to her according to our customs,” he said.
“Women are not permitted to see Oloolu. We have made that clear. But out of curiosity, she went ahead.”
Clips circulating online showed the woman with a shaved head, dressed in red, and participating in rituals surrounded by traditional worshippers. Reports indicated that giant snails and a ram were used for the rites, while another video showed a goat being slaughtered as part of the process.
Ibadan-based content creator Ayo Adams also posted on X that he visited the compound and was informed the woman, identified as Wasilat, was alive and recovering. He added that security operatives took her and her family to the shrine to complete the necessary rites.
The Oyo State Police Command said it had no record of the incident as it was not reported at any station.
The Oloolu Festival is celebrated yearly by descendants of the Oloolu lineage. The event features prayers, sacrifices, drumming and processions to honor ancestors and seek communal well-being. Custodians say parts of the ceremony are sacred and must not be recorded, with strict restrictions especially for women.