Politics
TikToker undergoes cleansing after filming oloolu in Ibadan
A female TikTok content creator has been compelled to undergo traditional cleansing rites after allegedly filming a procession associated with the annual Oloolu Masquerade Festival in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The young woman reportedly uploaded the footage on TikTok. Videos of her later undergoing traditional rites at the Oloolu compound have since gone viral across social media platforms.
Adeola Oloko, a chief and spokesperson to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, clarified that the woman did not film the sacred Oloolu masquerade itself but rather recorded Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the Oloolu tradition.
Speaking on Monday, Oloko said traditional custodians confirmed that the footage was captured while the procession was moving 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 and captured it on the street,” Oloko said.
According to him, shortly after posting the video online, the woman reportedly began experiencing unexplained health challenges, prompting her family to seek assistance from the custodians of the Oloolu tradition.
“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 confirm claims circulating on social media that the TikToker 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 said.
Videos circulating online showed the woman participating in what appeared to be public traditional cleansing rites at the Oloolu compound. She was seen with her head shaved, dressed in red attire and surrounded by traditional worshippers.
Social media users claimed that giant African snails, a ram and a goat formed part of the prescribed rituals, although these claims have not been independently verified.
Ibadan-based content creator, Ayo Adams, who said he visited the Oloolu compound on Monday, claimed officials there confirmed that the woman was alive and recovering after undergoing the traditional rites.
According to Adams, the woman reportedly filmed the procession in the Oremeji area of Ibadan last Thursday before developing health complications the following day, which she allegedly linked to recording the procession.
He further claimed that security operatives accompanied the woman and her family to the Oloolu compound, where prescribed rites were performed, including a ritual around the Ogun shrine. Adams added that officials informed him the woman had since reunited with her family and was recovering.
However, the Oyo State Police Command said it had no official record of the incident.
Police spokesperson CSP Ayanlade Olayinka told journalists that the matter was not reported at any police station known to the command.
The annual Oloolu Festival is one of Ibadan’s prominent traditional festivals, attracting traditional rulers, worshippers, cultural enthusiasts and visitors from across Yorubaland. The celebration features prayers, sacrifices, drumming, dancing and processions aimed at honouring ancestors while seeking peace, protection and communal prosperity.
Unlike many public masquerade festivals, the custodians of the Oloolu tradition maintain strict taboos governing aspects of the celebration, including restrictions on photographing or recording certain parts of the procession.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.
