Abuja Court Action Against TikTok for Access Issues

TikTok is facing a lawsuit filed by the Foundation for Digital Justice and Sustainable Development at the Federal High Court in Abuja on October 5. The lawsuit addresses reported access issues in four northern Nigerian states: Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Sokoto.

Users have reported that videos fail to load and uploads stall, while the application remains accessible in other regions. The foundation's legal officer, Abidat Idowu, stated in an affidavit that these access difficulties began around September 11 and worsened over subsequent days.

The organization seeks a court order to restore service and declare the alleged restrictions a violation of users' rights. Although some users regained access using virtual private networks (VPNs), the cause of the disruption remains unclear, with no evidence confirming that TikTok intentionally restricted access.

The Nigeria Network of NGOs has also called for investigations into the matter, noting that available information does not clarify whether the issue is due to a technical fault or an intentional restriction.