TikToker Suffers Mysterious Sickness after Filming Oloolu Masquerade Procession [PHOTOS]

A yet-to-be-identified female TikTok user has been made to undergo spiritual cleansing after recording a procession linked to the annual Oloolu Masquerade Festival in Ibadan, Oyo State.

In the video that surfaced on social media, the content creator was captured surrounded by traditional worshippers who performed the public traditional cleansing ceremony on her.

The TikToker was also seen dressed in red garments with her head shaved, participating in rituals, while giant African snails and a ram were reportedly presented as part of the prescribed rites.

According to social media users, the content creator’s mother had publicly pleaded with traditional custodians for mercy on behalf of her daughter.

Another video showed that a goat was slaughtered and its blood used during the cleansing ritual.

Speaking on the incident on Monday,  the spokesperson of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, Chief Adeola Oloko, disclosed that the content creator did not record the sacred Oloolu masquerade itself but filmed Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the Oloolu tradition.

He said the traditional custodians confirmed that the woman captured the procession while it was moving through the Ibadan axis.

“She did not capture Oloolu; she mistook it for Alawo. We contacted the Mogaji of the Oloolu compound, and he confirmed that a woman who mistook Alawo of Oloolu for the real Oloolu masquerade captured it on the street,” Oloko said.

He added that shortly after uploading the footage, the woman reportedly developed unusual health challenges, prompting her family to seek help from the traditional custodians.

“After posting it, she realised the blood in her body began to dry. So her family reached out to the Oloolu people immediately, and they attended to her in accordance with the tradition of the land.

“We have told people to obey simple instructions; women are not supposed to see Oloolu, but out of curiosity, she disobeyed,” he said.

Oloko, however, said he could not verify claims circulating on social media that the woman disguised herself as a man to secretly record the procession.

“I cannot confirm she disguised herself as a man. Those are accounts on social media. But she took the footage or photo on the street,” he added.

The annual Oloolu Festival is celebrated by descendants of the Oloolu lineage and attracts traditional rulers, worshippers, cultural enthusiasts and visitors from across Yorubaland.

The festival features prayers, rituals, sacrifices, drumming, dancing and processions aimed at honouring ancestors while seeking peace, protection, prosperity and communal well-being.

Unlike many public masquerade festivals, the Oloolu tradition is regarded by its custodians as one surrounded by strict taboos, including restrictions on photographing or recording certain aspects of the procession.