Several major Nigerian news websites and media platforms were temporarily disrupted on Tuesday due to technical issues with Cloudflare, the US-based internet infrastructure company that supports millions of sites worldwide.
Among the affected platforms were PUNCH Newspapers, Vanguard, Daily Trust, Nairaland, The Nation, The Guardian Nigeria, and Bellanaija, leaving visitors confronted with Cloudflare error messages and unable to access news, features, or timely updates.
The outage came at a critical moment for Nigerian audiences, as the nation grappled with high-profile events, including the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State and the PDP leadership crisis in Abuja. For many, these news websites remain the most trusted sources of verified information, highlighting the disruption’s impact on public access to reliable news.
With traditional platforms offline, many readers turned to social media and blogs, raising concerns about misinformation and the credibility of alternative sources.
The outage also had a significant operational impact on media organizations. Platforms such as PUNCH, The Nation, and Vanguard depend heavily on daily web traffic for audience engagement, meaning the disruption likely resulted in sharp declines in site visits and online reach, with corresponding losses in advertising revenue for the day.
The incident underscores the critical reliance of Nigerian media on global internet infrastructure and the potential consequences when such systems fail.
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