A coalition of Nigerian civil society organisations has called on the Federal Government, regulators, telecom operators and TikTok to explain a weeks-long disruption of access to the video platform in parts of northern Nigeria.
The groups, which work on digital rights, freedom of expression and civic space, said users in Kaduna, Kebbi, Kano and Sokoto states have struggled to load TikTok, watch videos or upload content over ordinary mobile-data connections.
The problems, which began as intermittent difficulties around September 14, have since grown into what the coalition described as a multi-week digital blackout. The reports were first documented by Citizens.
In a preliminary statement, the coalition said its early investigations show the disruption is not tied to any single internet service provider. Some users have regained access only by using virtual private networks (VPNs).
The organisations said they have not been able to establish whether the problem stems from a technical failure, a network routing issue, a platform-side malfunction, a traffic management measure or a deliberate restriction.
No public explanation has emerged so far. While adopting the neutral label “TikTok Disruption” pending technical evidence, the groups said more than two weeks of institutional silence was a cause for concern.
They warned that unexplained social media disruptions undermine democracy and hurt the local economy, noting that millions of citizens rely on such platforms for their livelihoods, as well as for communication, journalism, business and civic participation.
The coalition urged the NCC, NITDA, the Office of the National Security Adviser and relevant state government agencies to investigate the disruption with telecom operators, internet service providers and TikTok, and to publish their findings.
If the disruption proves deliberate, the groups said, the government and security agencies should end it immediately, unless it is clearly authorised by law and meets the human-rights tests of legality, legitimate purpose, necessity and proportionality. They cited Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution, which protects freedom of expression, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ standards on restrictions.
The groups also said any instruction, directive or order affecting TikTok access should be made public, along with its legal basis, scope, duration and purpose. They called on telecom operators to inform affected customers about the nature and expected duration of major outages, and asked the NCC to clarify whether the TikTok problems have been logged as network incidents.
The NCC, they said, should also facilitate independent technical measurements by qualified researchers and civil society groups, checking for DNS interference, IP or domain blocking, SNI or protocol interference, throttling, routing anomalies, and differences across networks, connection types and locations.
On security concerns, the coalition argued that if authorities believe a platform poses a genuine national-security or public-order risk, they should target specific unlawful conduct or content rather than restrict an entire platform, based on evidence and procedural safeguards.
They also said users, journalists, researchers and civil society groups should not be harassed, arrested or penalised for reporting disruptions or conducting legitimate network measurements, and that regaining access through VPNs should not be treated as evidence of wrongdoing.
Any VPN restrictions, they added, must meet the same legal tests. TikTok, for its part, was asked to say whether it has identified technical problems or made infrastructure, routing or content-delivery changes affecting northern Nigeria, and to keep users informed.
The coalition also urged the Communications Ministry, NCC, NITDA and ONSA to set up a mechanism for engaging civil society, technical experts, academia, affected users and industry when investigating major disruptions.
They linked this to the government’s July 2026 announcement by Communications Minister Dr Bosun Tijani of a Joint Technical Coordination Committee of the NCC, NITDA and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission to consult stakeholders and develop a harmonised national policy framework.
The groups further called for a national internet disruption transparency protocol requiring prompt notification of significant outages, disclosure of causes and any government directives, publication of restoration timelines, independent verification where appropriate, post-incident reports and accessible complaint and redress channels.
They said such a framework would reduce uncertainty, curb misinformation and strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure. A final public report on what happened, where, which networks were affected and what will prevent recurrence was also requested.
The coalition said it will keep monitoring reports from affected users, engage stakeholders and assess further action as evidence emerges.
The statement was issued by Accountability Lab Nigeria, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Digital Africa Research and Safety Lab, DigiCivic Initiative, Gatefield, Hope Behind Bars Africa, Media Rights Agenda, Paradigm Initiative, RACE Africa, Spaces for Change, TechHerNG and TechSocietal.
