The TikTok content creator at the centre of the controversy surrounding the 2026 Oloolu Masquerade Festival in Ibadan has denied filming the sacred Oloolu masquerade and dismissed widespread rumours that she died after the incident.
Speaking during a telephone interview on Lagelu FM’s Ibi Aye N Lo programme on Monday, the woman, identified as Wasilat, insisted she neither recorded the revered masquerade nor suffered the fate widely claimed on social media.
“I am not dead. I did not capture the Oloolu masquerade,” she said, explaining that she only filmed people and a passing Amotekun vehicle near Oremeji while standing outside her family’s shop.
According to her, social media users urged her to delete the video before traditional custodians later approached her over the incident.
The controversy followed viral videos showing Wasilat undergoing traditional cleansing rites at the Oloolu compound, fuelling speculation that she had violated cultural taboos.
The spokesperson to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Adeola Oloko, confirmed that Wasilat did not film the Oloolu masquerade itself but mistakenly captured Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the festival. He said traditional rites were performed after her family sought intervention.
The Oyo State Police Command said it had no official record of the incident because no report was made to the police.