Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
A TikToker, Wasilat Olalere, has alleged that she was forced to claim she became ill after allegedly recording activities linked to the annual Oloolu masquerade in Ibadan, contradicting earlier accounts surrounding the controversy.
Speaking during an interview with an Islamic cleric in a video that surfaced on Wednesday, Olalere maintained that she neither saw the revered masquerade nor suffered any strange illness after posting a video on TikTok.
According to her, the clip only showed security operatives and residents gathered in anticipation of the masquerade’s outing.
She said, “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 after deleting the video, men she identified as members of the Oloolu traditional institution arrived at her shop, threatened her and later took her away despite appeals from residents.
Recounting the incident, she said, “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.”
She further claimed that her family was directed to provide items for a cleansing ritual, including a goat, red cloth and blade, before the ceremony was carried out.
“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 circulated online, drawing criticism from custodians of the Ibadan cultural institution, who maintain that the masquerade should not be recorded or publicly displayed.
A subsequent video later emerged showing Olalere claiming she became seriously ill after recording the masquerade and had undergone traditional cleansing. She now alleges those statements were made under pressure.
Responding to the earlier controversy, the Family Secretary of the Oloolu masquerade, Oluwo Ishola Akeem, had denied that Olalere was assaulted and said she willingly participated in the rites after seeking traditional appeasement for violating longstanding customs associated with the masquerade.
Akeem also rejected claims that she died following the ritual and maintained that the cleansing process was conducted in line with tradition after consultations with her family.
Olalere’s latest account, however, challenges that position, as she alleges that the cleansing rite, the video recorded afterward and the payment of N400,000 were all carried out against her will.
