TikToker Claims She Was Forced Into Oloolu Cleansing Rite

A TikToker, Wasilat Olalere, has alleged that she was compelled to claim she became ill after allegedly recording activities linked to the annual Oloolu masquerade in Ibadan, contradicting earlier accounts surrounding the controversy.

Speaking during an interview with an Islamic cleric in a video that surfaced on Wednesday, Olalere insisted that she neither saw the revered masquerade nor suffered any strange illness after uploading a video on TikTok.
According to her, the clip only captured security personnel and residents gathered in anticipation of the masquerade’s outing.
“I recorded Amotekun vehicles that were parked and people who were in front of our house waiting for the Oloolu masquerade. I simply captioned the video that Oloolu was around Atolu and advised people to watch their movement to avoid coming in contact with him,” she said.
She explained that shortly after posting the video, several people contacted her and urged her to delete it, which she did immediately, although many had already saved the clip.
Olalere alleged that despite deleting the video, men she identified as members of the Oloolu traditional institution later arrived at her shop, threatened her, and took her away despite pleas from residents.
According to her, the men claimed they were acting on the directive of the Olubadan and warned that she would be jailed. She said she was detained at Agungun Police Station before being granted bail on Saturday, after which she was allegedly taken to Ode Aje to undergo traditional cleansing rites.
She further alleged that her family was instructed to provide items for the ritual, including a goat, red cloth and a blade.
Olalere claimed that during the ceremony, the goat was placed on her neck before it was slaughtered over her head, and she was instructed to allow the blood to dry on her body. She also alleged that she was compelled to record a video claiming she became seriously ill and started bleeding after seeing the Oloolu masquerade, and that she voluntarily sought cleansing.
She maintained that none of those claims were true, insisting that she never saw the masquerade, never experienced any bleeding or illness, and that her husband was made to pay N400,000 after they had already purchased the required items for the ritual.
The controversy began after a video allegedly showing the Oloolu masquerade circulated online, attracting criticism from custodians of the Ibadan cultural institution, who insist that the masquerade should neither be recorded nor publicly displayed.
A subsequent video later surfaced showing Olalere claiming she became seriously ill after recording the masquerade and had undergone traditional cleansing. She now alleges that those statements were made under pressure.
Responding to the earlier controversy, the Family Secretary of the Oloolu masquerade, Oluwo Ishola Akeem, denied that Olalere was assaulted, maintaining that she willingly participated in the rites after seeking traditional appeasement for violating longstanding customs associated with the masquerade.
Akeem also dismissed claims that she died following the ritual, stating that the cleansing process was conducted in accordance with tradition after consultations with her family.
Olalere’s latest account, however, challenges that position, as she alleges that the cleansing rite, the recorded video, and the payment of N400,000 were all carried out against her will.