The female TikTok content creator at the centre of the controversy surrounding the annual Oloolu Masquerade Festival in Ibadan, Oyo State, has denied filming the sacred Oloolu masquerade, insisting that she neither recorded the revered traditional figure nor died as widely claimed on social media.
According to PUNCH, the woman, identified as Wasilat, made the clarification during a telephone interview on Lagelu FM’s Ibi Aye N Lo programme hosted by Adesoye Omotosho on Monday.
Wasilat said she was alive and maintained that she did not record the Oloolu masquerade.
She explained that on the day of the incident, she unexpectedly went to her shop around the Oremeji area but did not open it because business activities had already ended there.
According to her, she only saw people passing by and an Amotekun vehicle moving through the area, stressing that the Oloolu masquerade did not pass through that route.
She said she recorded the scene and uploaded the video on social media before receiving several comments urging her to delete it.
Wasilat added that traditional custodians later traced her to her shop, expressing disappointment that eyewitnesses who were present during the incident did not defend her. She maintained that she did not know how the allegation against her originated.
PUNCH had earlier reported that the content creator allegedly escaped death after reportedly filming a procession linked to the Oloolu Masquerade Festival.
The incident generated widespread reactions after videos surfaced online showing her undergoing traditional cleansing rites at the Oloolu compound.
Speaking with PUNCH, the spokesperson to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Adeola Oloko, clarified that Wasilat did not record the sacred Oloolu masquerade but mistakenly filmed Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the Oloolu tradition.
Oloko said the Mogaji of the Oloolu compound confirmed that the woman mistook Alawo Oloolu for the actual Oloolu masquerade and captured the procession on the street.
He further explained that after uploading the footage, Wasilat reportedly developed unusual health challenges, prompting her family to seek help from the traditional custodians, who performed the necessary traditional rites in line with local customs.
Oloko reiterated that women were traditionally forbidden from seeing the Oloolu masquerade and urged members of the public to obey such cultural instructions.
He, however, said he could not confirm social media claims that Wasilat disguised herself as a man to secretly record the procession, noting only that she took the footage on the street.
Videos circulating online showed what appeared to be a public traditional cleansing ceremony, with the content creator surrounded by traditional worshippers.
She was seen with her head shaved, dressed in red garments and participating in traditional rites, while giant African snails and a ram were reportedly presented as part of the prescribed rituals.
Another video also showed what appeared to be a goat slaughtered during the ceremony, while social media users claimed her mother appealed to the traditional custodians for mercy on her behalf.
Meanwhile, Ibadan-based content creator, Ayo Adams, said he visited the Oloolu compound and was informed that Wasilat was alive and recovering.
According to Adams, officials at the compound explained that Wasilat discreetly recorded Oloolu’s crowd in the Oremeji area before experiencing health challenges, which she linked to the incident.
He added that the police later took Wasilat and her family to the Oloolu compound, where the required traditional rites were performed, after which she reunited with her family and was recovering.
The annual Oloolu Festival attracts traditional rulers, worshippers, cultural enthusiasts and visitors from across Yorubaland.
The festival features prayers, rituals, sacrifices, drumming, dancing and processions aimed at honouring ancestors while seeking peace, protection, prosperity and communal wellbeing.