TikTok has introduced a temporary night-time restriction on its LIVE streaming feature across Nigeria, blocking access between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am local time.
The measure, which took effect suddenly on Sunday night, is described by the platform as part of an “ongoing investigation” to keep the community safe.
Affected creators received an in-app system message that read:
“LIVE
Notices
TikTok LIVE Update in Nigeria
We’re temporarily limiting LIVE late at night in Nigeria as part of our investigation to ensure our platform remains safe and our community stays protected.”
Multiple Nigerian creators confirmed to PUNCH Online that all LIVE functionality, including the ability to start a broadcast or watch international streams, was completely disabled during the restricted hours. Accounts attempting to go live displayed a “No Access” message.
The restriction was lifted on Monday morning, restoring full access to the feature.
The overnight window is one of the busiest periods for Nigerian TikTok creators, many of whom rely on late-night sessions for matchmaking battles, entertainment shows, talent displays and interactive chats that generate significant virtual gifts and revenue.
Fortunately, the temporary block did not affect creators’ existing gift balances or previously withdrawn earnings.
The move follows TikTok’s disclosure of heightened enforcement actions in West Africa. At a regional safety summit held in Dakar, Senegal, the company revealed that between April and June 2025 it globally terminated 2.3 million LIVE sessions and suspended over one million creators for breaching monetisation rules.
In Nigeria specifically, 49,512 LIVE broadcasts were removed during the same quarter.
TikTok also deleted more than 3.78 million videos in Nigeria over the three-month period for violating community guidelines, with the vast majority (98.7%) taken down proactively before any views and 91.9% removed within 24 hours of upload.
While TikTok has not publicly specified the exact nature of the ongoing safety investigation in Nigeria, the abrupt nationwide curfew on LIVE streaming has triggered widespread discussion among creators and users, with many speculating that the platform is responding to rising concerns over inappropriate or harmful content during unsupervised late-night hours.
The company says the restriction remains temporary, but has not announced when, or if, normal 24-hour access will be permanently restored.
