A female TikTok content creator has undergone traditional cleansing rites after allegedly filming a procession associated with the annual Oloolu Masquerade Festival in Ibadan, Oyo State, an incident that has triggered widespread reactions on social media.
The woman, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, was said to have developed health complications after uploading the video, prompting her family to seek intervention from custodians of the revered Oloolu tradition.
Videos circulating online showed the woman participating in what appeared to be traditional cleansing rituals at the Oloolu compound. She was seen with a shaved head, dressed in red attire and surrounded by traditional worshippers.
Speaking on the development, the spokesperson to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, Chief Adeola Oloko, clarified that the woman did not film the sacred Oloolu masquerade itself but rather recorded Alawo Oloolu, a figure linked to the Oloolu tradition.
According to him, the traditional custodians confirmed that the footage was taken while the procession moved through parts of Ibadan.
“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 said.
He disclosed that shortly after posting the footage online, the woman reportedly fell ill, leading her relatives to contact the traditional custodians for assistance.
“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,” he added.
Oloko, however, said he could not verify social media claims that the woman disguised herself as a man to secretly film the procession.
“I cannot confirm she disguised herself as a man. Those are accounts on social media. But she took the footage on the street,” he stated.
Some of the viral videos also showed what appeared to be sacrificial rites during the cleansing exercise, including the presentation of giant African snails, a ram and the slaughter of a goat, whose blood was reportedly used as part of the ritual.
An Ibadan-based content creator, Ayo Adams, who claimed to have visited the Oloolu compound, said officials confirmed that the woman was alive and recovering.
According to Adams, the incident began after the woman, identified only as Wasilat, allegedly recorded the Oloolu procession in the Oremeji area of Ibadan last Thursday.
He claimed she later reported feeling unwell and attributed her condition to filming the procession.
“The police took her and her family to Oloolu’s compound in order to perform the necessary rites to restore her health to normalcy.
“As part of the rites, she was seen circling around the Ogun shrine located within Oloolu’s compound. The secretary of the compound confirmed that the lady has reunited with her family and is currently recovering,” Adams wrote on X.
However, the Oyo State Police Command said it had no official record of the incident.
The command’s spokesperson, CSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said the matter was never reported at any police station.
The annual Oloolu Festival, celebrated by descendants of the Oloolu lineage, attracts traditional rulers, worshippers and cultural enthusiasts from across Yorubaland.
The festival features prayers, sacrifices, drumming, dancing and traditional processions aimed at honouring ancestors and seeking peace, protection and prosperity.
Custodians of the tradition have consistently maintained that certain aspects of the festival are governed by strict taboos, including restrictions on photographing or recording parts of the procession.
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