An Ibadan resident, identified as Wasilat Olalere, has denied social media claims that she filmed the sacred Oloolu masquerade during the 2026 Oloolu Masquerade Festival held in Ibadan, Oyo state capital. The revered ancestral masquerader visited some communities between July 28 and 30, with women forbidden from viewing its procession.
On Thursday, Ms Olalere reportedly posted a video captioned ‘This is Oloolu at Sokoti area’ on TikTok, which showed the masquerader’s entourage, drawing the ire of adherents and supporters.
Ms Olalere, who spoke via telephone during an interview on Lagelu FM on Monday, said she neither recorded the masquerader’s procession nor died after the incident, stating, “They are just saying theirs. May we not be unfortunate. I cannot snap the Oloolu. But help me thank God.”
Ms Olalere said she only took a picture of an Amotekun vehicle parked in her area and deleted the video after she was urged to do so.
“I did not snap the Oloolu. What happened was that on Thursday, the Oloolu passed through the Oremeji area. I was initially at home before something told me to go to my shop. When I got to the shop, I did not even open the door.
“But I saw people from afar with an Amotekun vehicle parked. The Oloolu did not pass. It was the parked Amotekun operatives and vehicle that I took a picture of. Immediately, people on TikTok told me to pull down the video, which I did.
“What I observed was that on Friday, the next day, they came to meet me at my shop. 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,” Ms Olalere said.
Footage seen by the Peoples Gazette showed the TikToker participating in a public traditional cleansing ceremony, which reportedly took place over the weekend.
The scene showed Ms Olalere dancing around a deity with her head shaved, dressed in a red garment and snails hung around her neck to appease the gods.
In another video, Ms Olalere said she began experiencing discomfort after recording the video.
“I was upstairs at the time. My body has not been feeling well. My period came, and it has not stopped,” she said.
The secretary of Ile-Aje Oloolu compound in Ibadan, Gbolahan Akeem, in an interview with Surprise Entertainment, dismissed the claim that Ms Olalere was dead.
“Wasilat is alive. Nothing has happened to her. She is in their house at Oremeji. She has been redeemed. Nothing will happen to her again. The deities have collected what they wanted,” Mr Akeem stated. “Last year, Wasilat took a video of the Oloolu but wasn’t able to capture (take a picture) it very well. This year, on the last day of the masquerader’s festival, when the Oloolu usually comes out to display, and when the masquerader got to their area, she dressed like a man to capture it.”
Mr Akeem added, “She recorded a video of the followers and entourage but couldn’t capture the masquerade itself. She then posted the video on TikTok and captioned it, ‘This is Oloolu at Sokoti area.’ When we saw it, we went to her, and she confessed. She said she had been ill since she committed the act.
“For the interest of peace, so that she would not be beaten, we took her away from her home and handed her over to the security agencies so that the tension could subside. She deleted the video and pictures, although some of us still have copies. She confessed to recording the video and posting it online.”
Mr Akeem warned residents of the state against violating traditional taboos and to learn from Ms Olalere’s case.
“Oloolu is real, and when anything forbidden is done, it will certainly have repercussions. Anybody who waits for Oloolu will be afflicted with the masquerader’s wrath,” he said. “She is free now and has said she will not do such again. She regretted her decision and said she would never repeat it. She also said she might leave Ibadan whenever the festival is approaching.”
