The TikTok content creator at the centre of the controversy surrounding the 2026 Oloolu Masquerade Festival in Ibadan has denied filming the sacred Oloolu masquerade and dismissed widespread rumours that she died after the incident.
Speaking during a telephone interview on Lagelu FM’s Ibi Aye N Lo programme on Monday, the woman, identified as Wasilat, insisted she only recorded activities around the procession and never captured the revered masquerade.
“I am not dead. I did not capture the Oloolu masquerade. May I not be implicated; I did not record Oloolu,” she said.
Recounting what happened, Wasilat explained that she had gone to her shop in the Oremeji area last Thursday when she noticed people gathering and an Amotekun patrol vehicle passing by.
“When I saw people passing, I saw an Amotekun vehicle passing. Oloolu did not even pass through that route. So I filmed it and posted it on social media. Everyone in the TikTok comment section asked me to delete it. The following day, while I was at the shop, they came to meet me there,” she said.
She also expressed disappointment that witnesses failed to defend her against the allegations.
“I do not know why the eyewitnesses on Thursday did not defend me. I don’t know who came up with that agenda, but I know God will judge.”
The controversy erupted after videos circulated online claiming the content creator had secretly filmed the sacred Oloolu masquerade, prompting rumours of her death and footage showing her undergoing traditional cleansing rites.
However, the spokesperson to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Adeola Oloko, clarified that Wasilat did not record the Oloolu masquerade but mistakenly captured Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the festival.
“She did not capture Oloolu; she mistook it for Alawo. A woman who mistook Alawo of Oloolu for the real Oloolu masquerade captured it on the street,” Oloko explained.
According to him, after posting 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.”
Oloko added that while women are traditionally forbidden from seeing the Oloolu masquerade, he could not confirm social media claims that Wasilat disguised herself as a man to film the procession.
Videos circulating online showed the TikToker participating in traditional cleansing rites at the Oloolu compound, with her head shaved and dressed in red attire. Reports also claimed that a ram, giant African snails and a goat were used during the rituals.
Ibadan-based content creator Ayo Adams, who visited the Oloolu compound, later confirmed that Wasilat was alive and recovering.
“The secretary of the compound confirmed that the lady has reunited with her family and is currently recovering,” Adams wrote on X.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Police Command said it had no official record of the incident.
Police spokesperson CSP Ayanlade Olayinka said, “I have no information about the incident because it was not reported at any nearby police station.”
The annual Oloolu Festival is one of Ibadan’s most revered traditional celebrations, attracting worshippers, cultural enthusiasts and visitors from across Yorubaland with rituals, processions and prayers for peace, prosperity and communal wellbeing.
