The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre has arrested a 27-year-old woman, Hafsat Abubakar, over the creation and circulation of a forged document claiming that fintech company OPay Nigeria Limited was shutting down its operations.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Anietie Iniedu, disclosed this at a press briefing at the NPF-NCCC in Abuja on Wednesday. He said the arrest followed a petition submitted by OPay Digital Services Limited on August 31, seeking an investigation into the origin and circulation of the fraudulent document.
According to Iniedu, the document was falsely presented as an official communication from OPay. He said the NCCC deployed digital forensic tools to analyse the material and traced it to a post on the X account, @haifah_er_abba, which police identified as being operated by Abubakar.
Iniedu said NCCC operatives arrested Abubakar on September 4. He identified her as a graduate of Library and Information Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and said the investigation remained ongoing.
The police spokesman warned that digitally fabricated information could cause public panic, financial disruption and reputational damage. He also urged Nigerians to verify sensitive information through official channels before sharing it, adding that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted after the investigation.
The development followed OPay’s denial of a viral notice claiming the company would stop processing transactions and account services indefinitely from September 1, 2026. The company described the document, titled “Official Note”, as false and urged customers to rely on its official communication channels.
OPay Head of Corporate Communications, Folayemi Joshua, said the company remained fully operational and pointed to inconsistencies in the document, including an outdated logo, a misspelt brand name and a different layout from its official communications. The company’s Chief Legal Counsel, Akinfolabi Rokosu, also said OPay was working with the DSS and police to trace the source of the false information and warned that deliberate dissemination of such claims could attract legal action.
