Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) experienced a widespread outage on February 16, 2026, affecting thousands of users in Nigeria and multiple countries worldwide.
The disruption began around 3:00 PM WAT, with users unable to access feeds, post content, or log in via the app and website.
Data from outage monitoring service Downdetector indicated a sharp spike in complaints, with over 45,000 reports from Nigeria alone, suggesting the issue was not isolated to local networks but part of a global problem.
Similar complaints surged in the US, UK, and other regions, peaking at more than 80,000 in the US and 8,000 in the UK.
Users in Nigeria initially attributed the problem to network providers like MTN, Glo, and Airtel, but posts on alternative platforms clarified it was an X-specific glitch.
One user noted, “X was down for a few minutes. I saw it was a global outage,” highlighting confusion and frustration.
The outage lasted several minutes for most, with services gradually restoring, though some lingered. This is the third major disruption for X in 2026, following incidents in January.
X has not officially commented on the cause, but past outages have been linked to technical tweaks or cyberattacks. Elon Musk previously claimed a January outage resulted from a “massive cyberattack,” possibly involving coordinated groups or countries.
The platform’s reliance on servers and global infrastructure makes it vulnerable to such events, impacting millions who use it for news, communication, and business.
The incident underscores challenges for X in maintaining uptime amid a growing user base and regulatory scrutiny. Users are advised to check Downdetector for updates or try clearing the cache and switching networks if issues persist.