TikTok Users in Northern Nigeria Turn to VPNs as Access Disruption Enters Fourth Day

TikTok users across several northern Nigerian states, including Kaduna, Kano and Sokoto, have been unable to access the platform normally since Monday, forcing many to download Virtual Private Networks just to use the app. The disruption, which began abruptly on September 14, 2026, has affected users on standard mobile data connections, with feeds freezing midway through scrolling, videos failing to load and uploads stalling repeatedly.

Users in Kaduna reported that the app would not open unless a VPN was activated. “Since Monday, TikTok has not been opening on my phone unless I turn on a VPN. At first, I thought it was my data, but my friends here in Kaduna are complaining about the same thing,” Yunusa Muhammad told Tech Digest. In Sokoto State, Ameenu Ahmed said he had been unable to use TikTok normally since Monday. “Yes, we have been unable to access TikTok since Monday. I had to use a VPN before it worked. This is what a lot of us are using,” Ahmed said. Another Kaduna resident, Aisha Sani, said the problem persisted even when other internet services were working fine. “In my area here in Kaduna, TikTok stopped working directly. You will just keep scrolling and nothing loads. It only works when I connect with a VPN,” she said.

Some users also reported difficulties accessing TikTok through its mobile web version, not just the app, suggesting the disruption may not be limited to the application itself. The problem has continued for several days, though the severity appears to vary depending on location and internet connection. Two Kaduna residents who asked to remain anonymous told Culture Custodian they had been shut out of normal TikTok access since Monday and only got back in after switching on a VPN. One of them even tried using the app while connected to his WiFi router, but it was to no avail.

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As of Thursday, September 17, 2026, there has been no public statement from Nigerian regulators or telecommunications operators acknowledging that TikTok access had been restricted in these areas. There has also been no official explanation establishing whether the disruption is the result of a technical fault, a network configuration issue, traffic management, or a deliberate block. The lack of an explanation has fuelled speculation among affected users, particularly because VPN connections appear to restore access in many reported cases. Technically, successful access through a VPN can indicate that changing the route through which internet traffic travels is bypassing whatever is interfering with the original connection. It does not, however, establish on its own that authorities or telecommunications companies have deliberately blocked the platform.

The geographical concentration of the complaints is significant. The disruption does not appear to be a nationwide TikTok shutdown, nor is there sufficient evidence to conclude that TikTok itself is experiencing a general service failure. The incident comes amid heightened tensions over the state of Nigerian democracy and ahead of the 2027 general elections. With elections drawing near, many users are convinced that this is a deliberate government effort to censor the north and restrict access to non-mainstream media.

TikTok has become a major platform for entertainment, news, political discussion, advertising and small businesses in Nigeria. A prolonged disruption could affect not only ordinary users but also creators and entrepreneurs who depend on the platform to reach audiences and customers. For now, users in Kaduna and other affected states are left with an unreliable service and a choice: stay off TikTok or download a VPN. The cause of the disruption remains unclear, and without clarification from TikTok, telecom operators or regulators, affected users have no official explanation for why their access has been cut.

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