Oloolu festival: Female TikToker was abused – Sowore

The African Action Congress candidate, Omoyele Sowore, denounced a recent incident involving a female TikTok content creator who allegedly underwent a traditional cleansing ritual at the Oloolu masquerade compound in Ibadan. Sowore described the event as an abuse of human dignity and called for the abandonment of any cultural practices that oppress or discriminate.

According to Sowore, the TikTok creator, identified as Wasila, had filmed a procession linked to the Oloolu Masquerade Festival before being subjected to the cleansing ritual. The creator, however, denied the claims, stating that she neither filmed nor captured the Oloolu masquerade. She further denied that she died, contrary to the rumors circulating on social media.

The spokesperson for the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Adeola Oloko, clarified that the woman did not capture the Oloolu itself but mistook Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the Oloolu tradition. After posting the footage online, the woman reportedly experienced unusual health challenges, prompting her family to seek intervention from the traditional custodians.