Emma Okonji
The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations has called on the federal government to carry out a prompt, transparent and independent investigation on the recent disruption to TikTok access in some parts of Northern Nigeria.
The coalition urged government and regulators to prioritise transparency, accountability, technical verification and respect for freedom of expression and access to information, while ensuring that any legitimate concerns relating to security, public order or unlawful online activity are addressed through targeted, lawful and proportionate measures rather than unexplained disruption of access to an entire communications platform.
The coalition which comprises Accountability Lab (AL) Nigeria; Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID); Digital Africa Research and Safety Lab (DigiAfricaLab); DigiCivic Initiative; Gatefield; Hope Behind Bars Africa; Media Rights Agenda (MRA); Paradigm Initiative (PIN); RACE Africa; Spaces for Change | S4C; TechHerNG; and TechSocietal, made the call in a joint statement it issued after its emergency meeting.
The meeting was called to address the unresolved disruptions affecting access to TikTok in parts of northern Nigeria, notably Kaduna, Kebbi, Kano and Sokoto.
What began as intermittent access difficulties around September 14, 2026 has grown into a multi-week digital blackout, a development that is affecting millions of Nigerian citizens whose livelihood depend on the social media platforms.
The situation has created difficult experiences for people loading TikTok, viewing videos and uploading content through mobile-data connections.
The coalition therefore urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), as well as the relevant departments and agencies of the affected state governments, to urgently investigate the TikTok disruption and publish a comprehensive report to the public.
They should also state what happened, where and when it happened, which networks were affected, the technical cause, whether any government agency was involved, whether any legal directive was issued, what remedial action was taken, and what measures will prevent future recurrence.
The coalition recommended that telecommunications operators and other service providers should be required to clearly inform affected consumers about the nature and extent of any major network disruption and the expected restoration period.
It also recommended that the NCC should facilitate independent network testing in the affected locations, including through qualified researchers and civil society organisations with relevant technical expertise, which should help to distinguish an ordinary technical outage from deliberate or inadvertent network-level interference.
The coalition also called for the protection of the right of citizens to access information online, as internet access is important to the enjoyment of multiple human rights and that states should refrain from interfering with internet and digital communications platforms unless such interference complies with applicable human-rights standards.
According to the joint statement, the coalition insisted that any intervention should be based on demonstrable evidence, lawful authority and appropriate procedural safeguards.