By Our Reporter
An Ibadan TikToker, Wasilat Olalere, has alleged that she was detained, coerced, and forced to pay N400,000 after a viral video she posted ahead of the Oloolu masquerade’s outing sparked outrage in Ibadan last week.
In a video interview with an Islamic cleric that began trending on Wednesday, Olalere insisted she never saw the revered Oloolu masquerade and did not fall ill as claimed in an earlier video circulated after her release.
According to her, she only filmed Amotekun vehicles and residents that gathered near her home at Atolu in anticipation of the annual masquerade before posting the clip on TikTok with a warning for people to “watch their movement.”
“I recorded Amotekun vehicles that were parked and people who were in front of our house waiting for Oloolu masquerade,” she said.
“I just captioned the video that Oloolu was around Atolu so people should watch their movement. When I posted it, people started reaching out to me to pull it down. I did immediately. I didn’t know many had saved it.”
Olalere alleged that shortly after deleting the video, men identified as members of the Oloolu traditional institution, known as _Sokoti_, stormed her shop.
“They said Olubadan had requested that I come. They said I would go to jail. I was begging them endlessly,” she recounted.
“They locked me up at Agungun Police Station and I was bailed out on Saturday. As soon as I got out, they took me in another vehicle, saying we were going to Ode Aje to perform traditional rites for me.”
She claimed her family was forced to provide a goat, red cloth and blade for the cleansing. She alleged she was made to sit on a mortar while the goat was killed on her head, and the blood was left to dry on her.
“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 I came for cleansing,” she said.
“Nothing happened to me. I didn’t see any blood, not even my menstrual period. They called my husband and collected N400,000 after we bought all the things for the rites.”
The controversy began after Olalere’s video allegedly captured the Oloolu masquerade, which custodians say must not be recorded or publicly displayed.
A follow-up video later showed Olalere saying she was ill after recording the masquerade and had undergone cleansing. She now says that video was made under duress.
The Family Secretary of Oloolu, Oluwo Ishola Akeem, had earlier said Olalere was not assaulted and came voluntarily for rites to ward off illness. He denied claims of physical abuse and insisted the cleansing followed tradition and family consultations.
He also dismissed reports that she died after the rites.
Olalere’s latest testimony directly contradicts that account, alleging the rites, the apology video and the N400,000 payment were all carried out under threat.
The incident has reignited debate over the clash between cultural practices, social media, and citizens’ rights in Ibadan.
