CSOs demand probe into unexplained TikTok disruption in northern Nigeria
by Adenle Ahmed Abiola · The Eagle OnlineA coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has called for an urgent investigation into reported disruptions to TikTok access in parts of northern Nigeria, particularly Kaduna, Kebbi, Kano and Sokoto states.
The organisations, in a joint statement issued on Friday, October 2, 2026, said the access difficulties began intermittently around September 14 and had developed into a multi-week disruption affecting users across the affected areas.
The coalition said its preliminary investigations showed that millions of citizens whose livelihoods depend on social media platforms had experienced difficulties loading TikTok, viewing videos and uploading content through ordinary mobile-data connections.
It said the disruption did not appear to be linked to a single internet service provider, noting that some users had been able to regain access through virtual private networks.
However, the organisations said they had yet to establish whether the disruption was caused by a technical failure, network-routing problem, platform-side malfunction, traffic-management measure or intentional restriction.
The coalition adopted the neutral term “TikTok Disruption” pending further technical evidence, while expressing concern over what it described as more than two weeks of institutional silence on the matter.
It said access to digital platforms had become important to communication, journalism, civic participation, business and public discourse, adding that unexplained disruptions could affect both democratic participation and economic activity.
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The CSOs called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and relevant departments and agencies of affected state governments to investigate the reported disruption in cooperation with mobile network operators, internet service providers and TikTok.
They also urged the authorities to publicly disclose the findings of any investigation.
The coalition said any intentional restriction of access to TikTok or other internet platforms should end unless it was clearly authorised by law and met applicable human-rights requirements of legality, legitimate purpose, necessity and proportionality.
It also called for transparency if any government institution had issued an instruction, directive, request or order affecting TikTok access, including disclosure of its legal basis, scope, duration and purpose.
The organisations further urged telecommunications operators to provide timely information to affected consumers about major network disruptions and expected restoration periods.
They asked the NCC to clarify whether the reported TikTok disruptions had been logged as network incidents and, where applicable, require affected operators to provide appropriate information and remedies.
The coalition also called for independent technical measurements in the affected locations to determine whether the disruption was an ordinary technical outage or network-level interference.
It said testing should examine possible DNS interference, IP or domain blocking, Server Name Indication or protocol interference, throttling, routing anomalies, application-specific filtering, differences between mobile networks, mobile and fixed-line connections, and affected and unaffected geographical areas.
The CSOs urged the government to protect online access as part of the broader exercise of rights, including freedom of expression, access to information, association, education and participation in public affairs
They also said national-security considerations should not become a blanket justification for restricting access to an entire digital platform, arguing that any response to unlawful content or conduct should be targeted and based on demonstrable evidence, lawful authority and appropriate safeguards.
The coalition called for engagement with civil society organisations, technical experts, academia, affected users and industry representatives during investigations into significant online disruptions.
It referenced the Federal Government’s July 2026 decision, announced by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, to establish a Joint Technical Coordination Committee involving the NCC, NITDA and Nigeria Data Protection Commission under the leadership of the minister.
The group also urged the government and security agencies not to intimidate, harass, arrest or penalise users, journalists, researchers or civil society organisations merely for documenting access difficulties, conducting legitimate network measurements or discussing the disruption.
It further cautioned against unnecessary or overly broad restrictions on VPNs, saying the use of VPNs to regain lawful access to communications services should not, by itself, be treated as evidence of unlawful conduct.
The coalition called on TikTok to publicly clarify whether it had identified technical problems affecting users in northern Nigeria or whether changes to its infrastructure, routing, content-delivery systems or service availability had contributed to the disruption.
It also urged the government and regulators to establish a transparent national protocol for future internet disruptions, covering notification of significant outages, identification of affected services or networks, disclosure of established causes, any government directive or legal order involved, the geographical and temporal scope, restoration timelines, independent verification, post-incident reports and complaints mechanisms.
The organisations said such a framework would help reduce uncertainty, prevent misinformation and strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
They called for a comprehensive final investigation report stating what happened, where and when it occurred, the networks affected, the technical cause, whether any government agency was involved, whether a legal directive was issued, the remedial action taken and measures to prevent a recurrence.
The coalition comprises Accountability Lab Nigeria, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, 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.
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