LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- TikTok users in Nigeria woke up to a surprise on Monday as the app’s bustling late-night LIVE sessions had quietly gone dark.
The platform briefly shut down access to its LIVE feature between 11pm and 5am, pushing an unusual move that instantly stirred speculation across the country’s entertainment and creator circles.
According to an in-app notice sent out on Sunday, the blackout was linked to an ongoing safety review.
“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,” the platform told users.
However, by morning the restriction had been lifted.
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The temporary freeze halted hosting, viewing of LIVE sessions and even broadcasts from outside Nigeria, leaving creators puzzled during what is typically a high-traffic window for streaming matches, talent showcases, trending challenges, and late-night hangouts.
Only users with the minimum 1,000-follower requirement to host LIVE sessions received the notification. Several creators confirmed that every LIVE stream was shut down throughout the night.
Despite concerns about monetisation, TikTok assured its creators that earnings from LIVE gifting remained untouched. For many, this offered relief in a market where late-night streams often generate the biggest virtual-gift payouts.
The brief restriction landed just weeks after TikTok unveiled new safety statistics for West Africa at its Safety Summit in Dakar. The company revealed that in the second quarter of 2025 it took action on 2,321,813 LIVE sessions and 1,040,356 creators worldwide for violating LIVE monetisation rules.
In Nigeria alone, 49,512 LIVE sessions were banned in that period. TikTok also removed 3,780,426 videos in Nigeria between April and June 2025 for Community Guidelines violations, noting that 98.7 percent were taken down before being viewed.
The overnight blackout has amplified ongoing questions about how aggressively TikTok plans to police LIVE content in Nigeria, especially during hours when creators rely on engagement spikes to fuel their growth and income.
Ultimately, the move has users questioning whether this was a one-off disruption or a preview of a new recurring safety strategy.
