Ibadan content creator denies filming Oloolu Masquerade

A Nigerian TikTok creator has vehemently denied filming the sacred Oloolu masquerade during the annual festival in Ibadan, Oyo State. She also dismissed widespread social media rumors claiming she had died.

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I am not dead. I did not capture the Oloolu masquerade. May I not be implicated; I did not record Oloolu.

Speaking on a radio program, the creator, identified as Wasilat, insisted she did not record the revered traditional figure. She explained that on the day of the incident, she filmed a scene of people and a security vehicle passing by her shop, and that Oloolu did not pass her route. She expressed confusion as to why eyewitnesses did not defend her at the time.

Earlier reports suggested the content creator had narrowly escaped death after filming a procession linked to the festival. Videos circulating online showed her undergoing traditional cleansing rites, including having her head shaved and participating in rituals with offerings. However, Chief Adeola Oloko, spokesperson for the Olubadan of Ibadanland, clarified that the woman had mistakenly captured Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the tradition, rather than the sacred Oloolu masquerade itself.

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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 added that after posting the footage, the woman reportedly experienced unusual health issues, prompting her family to seek help from traditional custodians. He reiterated that women are traditionally not supposed to see Oloolu, and the woman disobeyed this rule out of curiosity. He could not confirm social media claims that she had disguised herself as a man to record the procession.

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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.