TikToker Wasilat Olalere has alleged she was forced to claim she became ill after recording the Oloolu masquerade, contradicting an earlier viral video following the controversy in Ibadan
‘I Was Forced to Lie’ — TikToker Behind Viral Oloolu Masquerade Video Speaks Out
Ibadan-based TikToker, Wasilat Olalere, has alleged that she was forced to falsely claim she became mysteriously ill after recording the revered Oloolu masquerade, contradicting an earlier viral video in which she appeared to testify that she fell sick and underwent traditional cleansing.
Olalere made the allegation during an interview with an Islamic cleric in Ibadan in a video that began circulating widely on Wednesday. She insisted that she neither saw the Oloolu masquerade nor suffered any strange ailment, maintaining that the earlier confession was made under duress.
According to her, the only footage she recorded was of Amotekun security vehicles and residents gathered in anticipation of the annual outing of the masquerade before uploading the clip on TikTok.
“I recorded Amotekun vehicles that were parked and people who were in front of our house waiting for Oloolu masquerade. I just captioned the video that Oloolu was around Atolu and that people should watch their movement so as not to come in contact with him.
“When I posted the video, people started reaching out to me that I should pull it down. I did immediately. I didn’t know that many had saved it.”
Olalere alleged that shortly after deleting the video, some men she identified as members of the Oloolu traditional institution, popularly known as Sokoti, stormed her shop, threatened her and took her away despite appeals from residents.
She claimed the men informed her that the Olubadan wanted to see her and warned that she could be jailed.
“They said Olubadan had requested that I come. They said I would go to jail. I was begging them endlessly. They locked me up at Agungun Police Station and I was bailed out on Saturday. As soon as I got bailed out, they took me in another vehicle, saying we were going to Ode Aje to perform some traditional rites for me.”
Olalere further alleged that she and her family were compelled to provide items required for the ritual, including a goat, red cloth and a blade, before she was subjected to what she described as a cleansing ceremony.
“They told my mum to get a goat, red cloth and blade because she was the one that would scrape off my hair. They put the goat on my neck, told me to sit on a mortar, then killed the goat on my head and instructed me to let the blood dry completely on me. After that, they recorded me and told me to say that since I saw Oloolu, I had been unwell and bleeding all over my body. They also forced me to say that I was the one who came for cleansing.
“Nothing happened to me. I didn’t see any blood, not even my menstrual period. They called my husband in and collected N400,000 after we bought all the things for the traditional rites.”
The controversy began after a video allegedly showing the Oloolu masquerade surfaced on TikTok, sparking outrage among custodians of the centuries-old Ibadan cultural institution, who insist the masquerade is sacred and should not be recorded or publicly displayed.
Following the backlash, another video emerged in which Olalere claimed she had become seriously ill after recording the masquerade and had undergone traditional rites to regain her health. In her latest interview, however, she alleged that both the cleansing ritual and the recorded confession were carried out under coercion.
Reacting to the earlier controversy, the Family Secretary of the Oloolu masquerade, Oluwo Ishola Akeem, had denied that Olalere was assaulted by members of the Oloolu family. He maintained that she voluntarily sought traditional rites after admitting she violated longstanding cultural norms associated with the masquerade.
Akeem also dismissed reports that Olalere died following the ritual, insisting the cleansing was conducted in line with tradition after consultations with her family. He further denied allegations of physical assault or abuse.
Olalere’s latest account, however, directly contradicts that position, as she alleged that the traditional rites, the subsequent video in which she claimed to be ill and the payment of N400,000 by her family were all made under pressure.
The conflicting accounts have further intensified public debate over the incident, with many Nigerians calling for an independent investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the TikToker’s arrest, the traditional rites and the competing claims made by both parties.
