TikTok has quietly shut down Nigeria’s late-night LIVE streets, and the whole internet is screaming “JUSTICE FOR 1 AM LIVE HOSTS!”
Over the weekend, creators across the country logged in between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., only to discover the LIVE button had vanished. TikTok sent out a system notification explaining that the restriction is part of an ongoing safety investigation to “keep the community protected.”
Protected from what, exactly? Well… let’s just say Nigerians have not been using late-night LIVE for Bible study. 
A Shutdown Months in the Making
The ban didn’t come out of nowhere. TikTok’s latest safety data shows:
- 49,512 Nigerian LIVE sessions were banned in Q2 2025
- Over 3.7 million Nigerian videos were removed between April and June.
- More than 2.3 million LIVE sessions were penalised globally for violating monetisation rules.
Also, according to multiple reports (and, let’s be honest, everyone who has accidentally clicked a 1:00 a.m. LIVE), Nigerian creators have been hosting adult-themed sessions, complete with erotic performances, “tasks” for gifts, and outright sexual acts streamed in real time.
Clearly, TikTok finally said: Enough! At least until 5 a.m.
Creators Are Furious And Running Broke
Night-time is prime time for Nigerian streamers: football match reactions, gossip sessions, chaotic challenges, soft-life gist, and the popular “send me gift make I continue” entertainment.
Shutting that down? It’s like banning suya at night. People are upset.
One user wrote:
“Why TikTok go ban LIVE at night for Nigeria? They don collect atije atimu for our hand.”
(Translation: They have taken our hustle. Our daily bread. Our everything.)
However, other users were celebrating:
Then, There’s the Conspiracy Theories
Some Nigerians are convinced TikTok simply wants to clamp down on African creators. For others, the platform finally grew tired of the flood of late-night, explicit sessions.
Meanwhile, some others are just confused, standing in the comment section like: “Wait… so I can’t even watch LIVES from other countries?”
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So What Now?
For now, the restriction is temporary. TikTok has done this in other regions before, usually during crackdowns on inappropriate content.
But Nigerian users aren’t sure what this means long term. Will there be stricter controls? New monetisation rules? Or is this TikTok trying to reset what users get?
Whatever it is, one thing is clear: if you’re trying to go LIVE at 2 a.m. this week, you’re on your own.
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