CSOs demand investigation into TikTok blackout affecting northern Nigeria
Twelve civil society organisations, including Paradigm Initiative, Media Rights Agenda, CJID and Spaces for Change, say TikTok has suffered a multi-week blackout in Kaduna, Kebbi, Kano and Sokoto states since intermittent problems began around 14 September 2026. Millions who rely on the platform for livelihoods report being unable to load videos, view content or upload via normal mobile data; access is currently only possible through VPNs. The coalition urges the NCC, NITDA, ONSA and the affected state governments to investigate jointly, publish findings and, if the block is intentional, halt any throttling that lacks legal basis under Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution. It also asks TikTok to explain whether technical glitches or infrastructure changes caused the outage, calls for mobile operators to issue timely outage notices, and demands a national internet-disruption transparency protocol. No official cause has been given by authorities or TikTok after more than two weeks of disruption. The groups warn that the unexplained disruption undermines democracy and truncates the local economy, and they pledge to continue monitoring the situation as more evidence emerges.