A female TikTok content creator, identified as Wasilat Olalere, has undergone traditional cleansing rites at the Oloolu family compound in Ibadan, Oyo State, after recording and sharing footage from the annual Oloolu Masquerade Festival — sparking widespread debate online.

Videos showing her at the cleansing ceremony went viral, alongside rumors that she had died, which she and family officials have since denied. The controversy traces to a TikTok clip Olalere posted during this year's festival, showing the masquerade's followers and entourage, captioned "This is Oloolu at Sokoto area." According to Oluwo Ishola Akeem, secretary of the Oloolu compound, she admitted to recording and uploading the footage despite customs barring the public from filming the masquerade, and claimed she had also attempted to film the procession the previous year, unsuccessfully, before returning this year disguised as a man to try again.

Accounts differ on exactly what she captured. Chief Adeola Oloko, spokesperson for the Olubadan of Ibadanland, said she did not film the sacred Oloolu masquerade itself but mistook Alawo Oloolu — a related but distinct traditional figure — for the real masquerade. Olalere herself has denied filming the masquerade at all, telling Lagelu FM she only recorded a crowd and an Amotekun patrol vehicle in the Oremeji area, and said she doesn't know what prompted her to visit her shop that day. Her family reportedly later approached the Oloolu custodians for help after she developed unspecified health issues, which led to the cleansing rites being performed.

Akeem said Olalere completed the required rites, apologized, deleted the video, and has since returned home safely, adding she said she may leave Ibadan during future festival periods. He maintained the Oloolu tradition remains sacred and warned against violating its customs.

The incident has drawn political criticism: AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore condemned the cleansing as an abuse of human dignity, arguing that any cultural practice that is oppressive or discriminatory — including toward gender — should be abandoned, regardless of whether it's carried out in the name of religion or tradition.