•TikToker Wasilat Olalere
A lady TikToker, Wasilat Olalere, whose viral video allegedly showing the popular Ibadan-based Oloolu masquerade sparked controversy last week, has claimed she was forced to falsely declare that she became ill after recording the revered traditional figure.
Olalere made the allegation during an interview with an Islamic cleric in Ibadan in a video that began trending today. She insisted that she neither saw the Oloolu masquerade nor suffered any strange ailment, contrary to claims made in a widely circulated video recorded after her release, reports The Nation.
According to her, she only captured footage of security operatives and residents who had gathered in anticipation of the annual outing of the masquerade before uploading the clip on TikTok.
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 further alleged that shortly after she deleted the video, some men identified as members of the Oloolu traditional institution, popularly known as Sokoti, stormed her shop, threatened her and eventually took her away despite pleas from residents.
Recounting her experience, 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 alleged that she and her family were compelled to procure items for the ritual, including a goat, red cloth and blade, before she was subjected to a cleansing ceremony.
“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.”
News Access NG had earlier reported that Olalere’s video allegedly showing the Oloolu masquerade triggered outrage among custodians of the age-long Ibadan cultural institution, who maintained that the masquerade is not meant to be recorded or publicly displayed.
Following the controversy, another video later surfaced showing Olalere claiming she had become seriously ill after recording the masquerade and had undergone traditional cleansing, a claim she now alleges was made under duress.
Reacting to the incident, the Family Secretary of the Oloolu masquerade, Oluwo Ishola Akeem, had stated that Olalere was not assaulted by members of the Oloolu family and that she came for the rites to ward off the illness that befell her after recording the masquerade.
He maintained that she voluntarily admitted wrongdoing and sought traditional appeasement after violating longstanding cultural norms surrounding the masquerade.
Akeem also dismissed claims that she died after the traditional rites, insisting that the cleansing was conducted in accordance with tradition after consultations with her family, while denying allegations of physical abuse.
However, Olalere’s latest account contradicts that position, as she alleged that the rites, the subsequent video and the payment of N400,000 were all carried out under coercion.
