A TikTok content creator, Wasilat Olalere, has alleged that she was compelled to falsely claim she became ill after posting a video related to the Oloolu masquerade in Ibadan.
Speaking during an interview with an Islamic cleric in a video that surfaced online on Wednesday, Olalere denied earlier claims that she fell sick after filming the revered traditional figure, insisting she neither saw the masquerade nor suffered any unusual illness.
According to her, the video she uploaded only showed security operatives and residents gathered in anticipation of the annual Oloolu masquerade procession.
“I recorded Amotekun vehicles that were parked and people who were in front of our house waiting for Oloolu masquerade. I only informed people that Oloolu was around Atolu so they should be careful not to come in contact with him,” she said.
Olalere explained that she deleted the video shortly after receiving calls urging her to take it down, but said many people had already downloaded and shared it.
“When people started calling me to remove the video, I deleted it immediately. I didn’t know many people had already saved it,” she added.
She further alleged that men she identified as members of the Oloolu traditional institution later arrived at her shop, threatened her and took her away despite appeals from residents.
According to her, she was first taken to Agungun Police Station, where she was detained before being granted bail.
“They said the Olubadan wanted to see me and that I would be jailed. After I was bailed on Saturday, they took me in another vehicle, saying we were going to Ode Aje for traditional rites,” she claimed.
Olalere alleged that she and her family were instructed to provide items, including a goat, red cloth and a blade, before a cleansing ritual was carried out.
“They told my mother to buy a goat, red cloth and blade. They placed the goat on my neck, made me sit on a mortar and slaughtered the goat over my head. Afterwards, they recorded me and instructed me to say I became sick and was bleeding after seeing Oloolu. They also made me say I came willingly for cleansing,” she alleged.
She maintained that she never experienced any illness.
“Nothing happened to me. I wasn’t bleeding and I wasn’t sick. They also collected N400,000 from my husband after we bought the items for the ritual,” she alleged.
The controversy began after Olalere shared a video said to be connected to the Oloolu masquerade, drawing criticism from custodians of the Ibadan cultural institution, who maintain that the masquerade is not to be recorded or publicly displayed.
Following the incident, another video circulated showing Olalere claiming she became seriously ill after recording the masquerade and had undergone traditional cleansing. She now alleges that the statement was made under duress.
Responding to the earlier controversy, the Family Secretary of the Oloolu masquerade, Oluwo Ishola Akeem, denied allegations that Olalere was assaulted.
He maintained that she voluntarily admitted wrongdoing and sought traditional appeasement after violating long-standing cultural customs surrounding the masquerade. Akeem also dismissed rumours that she died after the rites, insisting the cleansing was performed in accordance with tradition and with the knowledge of her family.
However, Olalere’s latest account contradicts that position, as she insists the ritual, the recorded statement and the payment of ₦400,000 were all carried out against her will.
