"Is There No Fear in the Land Already? I Am Traumatised." Nasboi Fires Back at Presidential Aide Who Told Him to Stop Spreading Fear.

"Is There No Fear in the Land Already? I Am Traumatised." Nasboi Fires Back at Presidential Aide Who Told Him to Stop Spreading Fear.

It started with a video. It ended with a content creator telling a presidential aide that he can barely sleep at night, and asking whether the fear was not already there in the first place.

On Tuesday, June 3, 2026, Dada Olusegun, the Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, publicly called out comedian and skit maker Nasboi on X, accusing him of using his large online following to spread fear among Nigerians.

It was the second time in eight days that a presidential aide had publicly targeted a Nigerian public figure on social media over content related to insecurity.

What Nasboi Posted

Nasboi shared a video clip on his X account showing turbaned men carrying sophisticated weapons and attacking a rural community. The video spread quickly, with many viewers assuming the footage was from Nigeria given the ongoing public conversation about banditry and kidnapping across the country.

Nasboi accompanied the video with a caption referencing the President, which amplified its reach and drove significant engagement on the platform.

He had also, separately, posted the statement: "No matter how patriotic, please don't die for Nigeria," a comment that drew its own round of reaction before the video controversy began.

What the Presidential Aide Said

Dada Olusegun responded on his verified X account, naming Nasboi directly and accusing him of deliberately using his platform to trigger public anxiety.

"You cannot continue to intentionally use your page to spread fear @iamnasboi for whatever reason you might think you have," Olusegun wrote, according to multiple media outlets including Vanguard, Legit.ng, and Premium Times.

He argued that the video Nasboi posted did not originate from Nigeria. "The video you posted was clearly quoted from a page that says these are Beninese terrorists. This means the footage is from Benin Republic and has nothing to do with Nigeria," he wrote.

Olusegun acknowledged that Nigeria faces genuine security challenges but argued that the circulation of unverified or misrepresented content increased public fear and confusion beyond what was warranted. He described Nasboi's conduct as "irresponsible" given the size of his online audience.

In a separate post, Olusegun also criticised Nasboi over his "don't die for Nigeria" statement, calling him a "failed comedian, failed skit maker, failed musician" who had "the gall to rubbish the sacrifices of the fighting men and women of the armed forces," according to Ladun Liadi's blog.

The Presidency did not issue a formal statement requesting any legal action against Nasboi. The comments from Olusegun were made in a personal capacity on his X account in his official role.

What Nasboi Said in Response

Nasboi did not retreat. He posted a direct reply that was widely circulated across Nigerian social media within hours.

According to Premium Times, which confirmed the quotes from his X posts, Nasboi said:

"In this same country? Real farmers can't even go to their farms without fear of bandits. The land is unsafe, and livelihoods are under threat. I will keep farming here with my tweets, with my voice, with my words."

He addressed the accusation of spreading fear directly. "I can barely sleep. I'm traumatised. Aren't we all? Raising awareness is now being twisted into spreading fear simply because some people are desperate to silence anyone who speaks up," he wrote.

On the "don't die for Nigeria" post, he said: "If speaking about the ills of this government was regarded as farming for engagements, then I would rather be called a farmer."

The Dispute Over the Video's Origin

The central factual question in this exchange is whether the video Nasboi posted was from Nigeria or from the Republic of Benin.

Dada Olusegun's claim is that the footage was originally sourced from a page that identified the armed men as Beninese terrorists, meaning it had no direct connection to Nigeria's internal security situation.

Nasboi has not publicly confirmed or denied the specific origin of the footage. His response focused primarily on the broader argument about insecurity and his right to speak about it, rather than specifically contesting or accepting the claim about where the video came from.

Neither the original source page nor an independent fact-check of the video's provenance was publicly confirmed by a third-party verification organisation as of the time of publication. Legit.ng reported that the Presidency stated the footage was misrepresented and traced to an account identifying the individuals as Beninese terrorists.

If the Presidency's account of the video's origin is accurate, Nasboi shared footage that was incorrectly framed in a way that implied a Nigerian context. If the video's origin is disputed or unclear, the question of whether sharing it constitutes irresponsible fear-mongering becomes more complicated.

A Pattern Emerging in One Week

This exchange is notable not only for its content but for its timing.

It is the second time in eight days that a member of President Tinubu's communications team has publicly confronted a Nigerian public figure on social media over content related to insecurity.

On May 27, Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga called for the prosecution of VeryDarkMan over an AI-generated audio clip attributed to President Tinubu. Fact-checkers subsequently established that the version of the video being cited had been manipulated by a third party before it circulated widely, and the blogger who spread that version publicly apologised.

On June 3, Dada Olusegun accused Nasboi of using misleading footage to spread fear, accusing him of being irresponsible and calling him a failed entertainer.

Both confrontations occurred against the backdrop of the Oyo school abductions, with children still in captivity, teachers on strike, and nationwide protests calling for government action. Both involved the Presidency's communications machinery targeting individuals with large public audiences who had been critical of the government's response to insecurity.

Whether those confrontations represent a communications strategy of deterrence, an organic response to what officials genuinely consider misinformation, or a combination of both, is a question observers across Nigerian media and public discourse are actively asking.

Nasboi's Broader Context

Nasboi, whose full name is Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Obiechina, is a Nigerian comedian, skit maker, and musician who has built a significant following across social media platforms. He is best known for his comedic content but has in recent weeks been increasingly vocal about Nigeria's insecurity situation, the Oyo abductions specifically, and what he has described as the government's inadequate response.

His "don't die for Nigeria" post generated debate separate from the video controversy, with some Nigerians agreeing with the sentiment and others, including military supporters and government officials, arguing it discouraged patriotism and disrespected the sacrifice of security personnel.

His response to Olusegun, particularly the line about being traumatised and barely sleeping, resonated widely among Nigerians who have followed the Oyo abduction story closely and who described his language as reflecting a national mood that official assurances have not yet addressed.

As of June 4, 2026, no formal legal action has been announced against Nasboi. The children abducted from Oyo State remain in captivity. The NUT strike in Oyo continues.