A young woman identified as Wasilat, who became the subject of widespread social media speculation following an incident involving the Oloolu masquerade in Ibadan, Oyo State, has dismissed reports that she died.
The woman, who reportedly became the centre of controversy after filming a procession associated with the Oloolu tradition, made the clarification during a telephone interview on Lagelu FM’s Ibi Aye N Lo programme on Monday.
“I am not dead. I did not capture the Oloolu masquerade,” Wasilat said, while denying claims circulating online that she had died following the incident.
According to her, she was around the Oremeji axis of Ibadan when she saw people passing and an Amotekun vehicle. She said she recorded what she saw and subsequently posted the video on social media.
Wasilat insisted that the sacred Oloolu masquerade itself did not pass through the route where she made the recording.
She further explained that after the video went viral, several people urged her to delete it. The following day, she said some people came to meet her at her shop.
Olubadan spokesperson clarifies incident
The spokesperson to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Adeola Oloko, also clarified that Wasilat did not actually film the sacred Oloolu masquerade.
According to Oloko, the woman mistakenly recorded Alawo Oloolu, a figure associated with the Oloolu tradition.
He said the woman subsequently experienced health challenges, prompting her family to seek assistance from the custodians of the Oloolu tradition. Traditional cleansing rites were later carried out, videos of which circulated widely online.
However, claims that she died after the incident spread rapidly across social media.
The woman has now personally dismissed those claims, saying emphatically that she is alive.
The development highlights the danger of spreading unverified information on social media, particularly when viral videos are accompanied by claims that have not been independently confirmed.
As of Monday, credible reports from multiple Nigerian news organisations indicate that Wasilat is alive and has publicly rejected the death reports.