A female TikTok content creator identified as Wasilat has denied reports that she secretly filmed the sacred Oloolu Masquerade during the annual Oloolu Festival in Ibadan, Oyo State, insisting she neither recorded the revered traditional figure nor died as widely claimed on social media.
Speaking during a telephone interview on Lagelu FM’s Ibi Aye N Lo programme, Wasilat dismissed the rumours surrounding the incident.
“I am not dead. I did not capture the Oloolu masquerade. May I not be implicated; I did not record Oloolu,” she said.
According to her, she was near her family shop in the Oremeji area when she recorded activities on the street, including an Amotekun patrol vehicle, stressing that the Oloolu masquerade never passed through that route.
“I filmed what I saw and posted it on social media. People in my TikTok comment section asked me to delete it. The following day, they came to meet me at the shop,” she explained.
She added that she remains unsure why eyewitnesses did not defend her against the allegations.
The controversy began after videos circulated online claiming the TikToker narrowly escaped death after allegedly recording the sacred Oloolu masquerade. Other viral posts also claimed she later underwent traditional cleansing rites.
However, the spokesperson to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Adeola Oloko, clarified that Wasilat did not film the Oloolu masquerade itself but instead captured Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the festival.
“She did not capture Oloolu; she mistook it for Alawo,” Oloko said.
He explained that after the footage was uploaded, her family reportedly sought intervention from the traditional custodians, who performed rites in line with local customs.
Oloko also stated that he could not confirm social media claims that Wasilat disguised herself as a man to record the procession.
Videos circulating online showed the content creator participating in what appeared to be traditional cleansing rites, with reports claiming she underwent rituals involving offerings prescribed by traditional custodians.
Meanwhile, Ibadan-based content creator Ayo Adams, who visited the Oloolu compound, said officials confirmed that Wasilat is alive and recovering.
According to Adams, the TikToker has since reunited with her family after undergoing the traditional rites.
When contacted, the Oyo State Police Command said it had no official record of the incident.
The annual Oloolu Festival is one of Ibadan’s major traditional celebrations, attracting traditional rulers, worshippers and cultural enthusiasts from across Yorubaland. The event features cultural processions, prayers and traditional rites aimed at promoting peace, protection and communal prosperity.