A 27-year-old woman, Hafsat Abubakar, has apologised for circulating a false notice claiming that fintech company OPay had shut down its operations in Nigeria.
Abubakar, who was arrested by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, appealed to Nigerians for forgiveness and admitted that she shared the notice without verifying its authenticity.
The notice, which went viral last week, claimed that OPay would stop operating in Nigeria from September 1. The rumour triggered panic among customers before the company dismissed it.
Speaking in a recorded video while being paraded by the police on Thursday, Abubakar said she did not confirm the information with the person who originally shared it before reposting it.
Asked whether she verified the claim, she replied, “No, I didn’t.”
She said she would not have shared the notice if she had known it was false, adding that she deleted the post and apologised publicly after OPay drew her attention to it through its official social media platforms.
Abubakar said OPay mentioned her name and X handle, @HAIFAH_ER_ABBA, in its response to the publication.
“So I saw the post on Twitter which they wrote my name there and my handle at @HAIFAH_ER_ABBA. That’s where they called my attention on Twitter to take it down and tender a public apology, which I made the apology the same day,” she said.
She explained that she stated in her apology that she had been unaware the information was false.
According to her, she later received a police invitation after OPay filed a petition against her.
“After I apologised for like about five days, which was on 4th of September, I was arrested by Nigeria Police at home,” she said.
“When I asked what was my offence, they said OPay filed a petition against me and they are also on investigation on the case, so I have to come to Abuja with them from Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.”
Earlier, the NPF National Cybercrime Centre said it received a formal petition from OPay Digital Services Limited on August 31, 2026, through the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department.
The petition requested an investigation into the creation and circulation of a fraudulent document purportedly issued by the company.
The police said its digital forensics team traced the circulation of the document to Abubakar, leading to her arrest and the recovery of three mobile phones.
According to the police, the document was designed to look like an official corporate notice, using OPay’s logo, branding, company name and a purported management signature and endorsement.
It falsely announced the shutdown of OPay’s operations, which the police said could mislead the public and cause unnecessary concern among the company’s customers.
Abubakar, who said she maintained an OPay account and had been a customer of the company, urged Nigerians to verify information before sharing it online.
“My advice to the whole Nigeria is to first verify before posting anything. Either posting or sharing, we have to verify and stop posting or spreading false information,” she said.
“OPay is one of my favourite companies and I enjoy doing business with them. I don’t wish them any harm or to spoil their reputation. Yes, I never knew the information was false. I wouldn’t have posted it.”
Expressing remorse, she added, “I regret my actions and any trouble that I have caused them. I’m very sorry.”
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