TikToker reportedly falls ill after recording Alawo Oloolu during festival
By Adejayan Gbenga
The palace of the Olubadan of Ibadanland has reacted to viral claims involving a female TikTok content creator who allegedly fell ill after recording a procession linked to the annual Oloolu Masquerade Festival in Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to the palace, the woman did not record the sacred Oloolu masquerade but mistakenly captured Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the Oloolu tradition, while the procession was moving through parts of Ibadan.
Chief Adeola Oloko, spokesperson to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, said the traditional custodians confirmed that the footage was taken on the street and not during the appearance of the sacred masquerade.
Oloko explained that the woman’s family later contacted the Oloolu custodians after she reportedly developed health challenges following the upload of the footage, leading to traditional rites being performed in line with local customs.
He, however, said he could not verify social media claims that the content creator disguised herself as a man to secretly record the procession, noting that only the recording itself had been confirmed.
Videos circulating online showed the woman participating in what appeared to be traditional cleansing rites at the Oloolu compound, while Ibadan-based content creator Ayo Adams said officials informed him that she was alive, recovering and had reunited with her family.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, Ayanlade Olayinka, said the incident had not been reported at any nearby police station, adding that the command had no official information on the matter.
The annual Oloolu Festival is one of Ibadan’s major traditional celebrations, featuring prayers, rituals, drumming, dancing and processions, with its custodians maintaining longstanding restrictions on photographing or recording certain aspects of the event.
