Oloolu festival: Palace speaks on TikToker’s alleged ordeal after recording procession

The palace of the Olubadan of Ibadanland has reacted to the viral claims surrounding a female TikTok user who allegedly fell ill after recording a procession linked to the annual Oloolu Masquerade Festival in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Videos circulating on social media showed the woman undergoing traditional cleansing rites at the Oloolu compound after the incident.

Speaking on Monday, the spokesperson to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, Chief Adeola Oloko, said the woman did not record the sacred Oloolu masquerade but mistakenly filmed Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the Oloolu tradition.

He said the traditional custodians confirmed that the woman captured the procession while it was moving through the Ibadan area.

“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.

Oloko said the woman reportedly developed health challenges after uploading the footage, leading her family to seek help from the traditional custodians.

“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.

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“We have told people to obey simple instructions; women are not supposed to see Oloolu, but out of curiosity, she disobeyed,” he said.

He, however, said he could not confirm reports on social media that the woman disguised herself as a man to secretly record the procession.

“I cannot confirm she disguised herself as a man. Those are accounts on social media. But she took the footage or photo on the street,” he added.

Videos shared online showed what appeared to be a public traditional cleansing ceremony, with the content creator surrounded by traditional worshippers.

She was seen with her head shaved, dressed in red clothes and taking part in the rites, while giant African snails and a ram were reportedly presented as part of the prescribed rituals.

Some social media users also claimed her mother publicly appealed to the traditional custodians for mercy on behalf of her daughter.

Another video showed a goat being slaughtered, with its blood reportedly used during the cleansing ritual.

An Ibadan-based content creator, Ayo Adams, said he visited the Oloolu compound on Monday and was told that the woman was alive and recovering.

“This morning, we were at Oloolu’s compound, and they informed us that the lady is alive.

“Last Thursday, Wasilat discreetly recorded Oloolu’s crowd in Oremeji area of Ibadan. On Friday, she reported to security operatives about the state of her health, linking it to her previous action of recording Oloolu’s crowd.

“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.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, Ayanlade Olayinka, said he had no information about the incident because it was not reported at any nearby police station.

The annual Oloolu Festival is celebrated by descendants of the Oloolu lineage and attracts traditional rulers, worshippers, cultural enthusiasts and visitors from across Yorubaland.

The festival includes prayers, rituals, sacrifices, drumming, dancing and processions to honour ancestors and pray for peace, protection, prosperity and the well-being of the community.

The custodians of the festival also maintain strict taboos, including restrictions on photographing or recording some parts of the procession.

Recall Tribune Online reported that the palace of the Olubadan released the movement schedule for the 2026 Oloolu Masquerade Festival, showing the communities the masquerade visited between July 28 and July 30.