On Sunday night, many Nigerian TikTok creators discovered that the LIVE feature, usually active at night, became inaccessible. By morning, TikTok had confirmed that the restriction was deliberate and temporary.

At exactly midnight Nigerian time, the platform sent an in-app message to eligible creators. The notice read:
 “We are temporarily limiting LIVE late at night in Nigeria as part of our investigation to ensure our platform remains safe and our community stays protected.”

Shortly after the message appeared, LIVE access was cut between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Accounts that attempted to go live during those hours received a “No Access” label. Even watching LIVE sessions from other countries was blocked for affected users.

Only creators with at least 1,000 followers received the notification, which aligns with TikTok’s minimum requirement for hosting LIVE sessions. Several creators later confirmed that all overnight LIVE activity had been completely shut down during the restriction window.

It could not have been more sensitive at this time. Late nights are peak hours for LIVE sessions, especially for entertainment streams, match commentary, trending discussions, and gift-based interactions. These hours are when engagement and income are at their peak.

Despite the disruption, TikTok confirmed that creators who earn through virtual gifts did not lose their accumulated balances. Previous earnings remained intact, which eased fears of financial losses among regular streamers.

By Monday morning, LIVE access had been restored across the country, which up conversations across social media as users tried to understand what had prompted such a sudden, nationwide action.

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The move comes just weeks after TikTok released new safety data for West Africa at its Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal. At the event, the company disclosed that between April and June 2025, it took action against about 2.3 million LIVE sessions and about 1.04 million LIVE creators globally for violating its LIVE monetisation policies.

Nigeria featured prominently in those figures. Within the same three-month period, about 49,500 LIVE sessions were banned in the country alone, while TikTok also reported removing about 3.8 million videos from Nigeria during that period for breaching Community Guidelines. According to the company, 98.7 per cent of those videos were taken down before they were viewed, while 91.9 per cent were removed within 24 hours.

TikTok LIVE allows users to broadcast in real time, interact with viewers through comments, and earn through virtual gifts. It is widely used for talent showcases, conversations, entertainment, and community engagement. To host a LIVE session, a user must typically have at least 1,000 followers, be at least 16 years old, and maintain a clean account. Users must also be 18 to earn from gifts.

While TikTok has not disclosed the specific reason behind the overnight restriction, the action suggests closer scrutiny of LIVE content in Nigeria, especially during the high-traffic late-night hours. For creators who rely on LIVE streaming for visibility and income, the incident has raised fresh questions about safety, regulation, and how closely platforms are now watching what happens after dark.

Anita Chinedu