TikToker Who Dressed as a Man to Secretly Film Masquerade Dance Undergoes Spiritual Cleansing After Viral Video Sparks Outrage

A TikToker, Wasilat Olalere, has undergone traditional cleansing rites at the Oloolu family compound in Ibadan after posting a video of the revered masquerade’s entourage during the annual Oloolu festival.

The Secretary of the Oloolu compound, Oluwo Ishola Akeem, explained the circumstances behind the incident during an interview with Surprise Entertainment_ on Monday.

According to Akeem, this was not Olalere’s first attempt.

“Last year, Wasilat videoed Oloolu but wasn’t able to capture it well. But this very year, on the last day of the masquerade festival that Oloolu usually comes out to display, when Oloolu got to their area, she dressed like a male to capture the masquerade,” he said.

She recorded the followers and entourage and posted it on TikTok with the caption, _“This is Oloolu at Sokoto area.”

“When we saw it, we went to her, and she confessed. She said she had been ill since she committed the act,” Akeem stated.

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To prevent mob action, Akeem said Olalere was taken from her home to the police station before being brought to the Oloolu compound.

“For the sake of peace, so that she would not be beaten, we took her away from her home and took her to the police station so that the tension could subside. She deleted the video and pictures, although some of us still have copies. She confessed to recording the video and posting it online,” he said.

At the compound, she participated in traditional rites, apologised, and deleted the video from her TikTok page.

Akeem dismissed social media rumours that Olalere had died.

“She is not dead. Wasilat is alive. She is now in their house at Oremeji. She has been redeemed. Nothing will happen to her again. She is free now and has said she will not do such again. She regretted her decision and said she would never repeat it. She also said she might leave Ibadan whenever the festival is approaching,” he added.

The Oloolu secretary stressed that the tradition remains sacred and warned against violating its taboos.

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“Oloolu is real, and when anything forbidden is done, it will certainly have repercussions. Anybody who waits for Oloolu will be afflicted with the masquerade’s wrath,” he warned.

The Oloolu masquerade is one of Ibadan’s most revered cultural institutions, and filming or following it closely is strictly prohibited by tradition.