Civil society organisations working on digital rights, freedom of expression and access to information have called for an urgent investigation into reported disruptions affecting access to TikTok in parts of northern Nigeria.
The organisations, in a preliminary statement, said users in Kaduna, Kebbi, Kano and Sokoto had experienced difficulties accessing TikTok through ordinary mobile-data connections since around September 14, 2026.
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They said the disruption had affected the ability of users to load the platform, watch videos and upload content, adding that some users had reportedly regained access through virtual private networks (VPNs).
The coalition said its preliminary investigations had not established whether the disruption was caused by a technical failure, network-routing problem, platform-side malfunction, traffic-management measure or an intentional restriction.
“While we adopt the neutral term ‘TikTok Disruption’ pending further technical evidence, over two weeks of institutional silence is cause of concern,” the statement said.
The groups urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and relevant state authorities to investigate the situation in collaboration with telecommunications operators, internet service providers and TikTok.
They also called for the publication of the findings of any investigation and urged authorities to disclose any government directive, request or order affecting access to the platform, including its legal basis, scope, duration and purpose.
The coalition asked the NCC to facilitate independent technical testing in affected areas to determine whether the disruption involved DNS interference, IP or domain blocking, protocol interference, throttling, routing anomalies or application-specific filtering.
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It further urged telecommunications operators to provide consumers with timely information on major network disruptions, including the nature and extent of the problem and expected restoration timelines.
The organisations said any restriction on access to digital platforms should comply with applicable legal and human-rights requirements, while national-security concerns should not be used as a blanket justification for restricting access to an entire platform.
They also called for consultation among government agencies, civil society organisations, technical experts, academia, affected users and industry representatives when investigating significant disruptions to online platforms.
The coalition urged TikTok to clarify whether it had identified any technical problems affecting users in northern Nigeria or made changes to its infrastructure, routing or content-delivery systems that could have affected access.
It also called for protection of users, journalists and researchers who document internet disruptions, saying they should not face intimidation, harassment or punishment merely for reporting access problems or conducting legitimate network measurements.
The groups recommended the establishment of a national Internet disruption transparency protocol requiring prompt notification of significant disruptions, disclosure of their causes where technically established, identification of affected areas and publication of restoration timelines.
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They further called on the NCC and other relevant authorities to publish a final investigation report detailing the networks affected, technical cause, geographic and temporal scope of the disruption, whether any government agency was involved and measures taken to prevent a recurrence.
The coalition said it would continue monitoring reports from affected users and engaging relevant stakeholders as further information becomes available.
