The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a 27-year-old woman over an alleged attempt to mislead the public with a forged notice claiming that OPay Nigeria Limited was shutting down its operations.
The suspect, Hafsat Abubakar, was arrested by operatives of the National Cybercrime Centre after the fintech company petitioned the police over the circulation of the document.
Force Public Relations Officer, Anietie Iniedu, disclosed this on Wednesday during a briefing at the NPF-NCCC headquarters in Abuja.
According to Iniedu, OPay Digital Services Limited petitioned the police on August 31, seeking an investigation into the creation and circulation of what it described as a fraudulent document purportedly issued by the company.
The petition was submitted through the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja.
Iniedu said the cybercrime centre subsequently subjected the document to digital forensic analysis to determine its source.
He said the investigation traced the material to an X account, @haifah_er_abba, allegedly operated by Abubakar.
“Upon receipt of the approved petition, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, NCCC, deployed digital forensic tools to analyse the content, which was traced to a post on the X handle, @haifah_er_abba, registered and operated by one Hafsat Abubakar,” he said.
Police operatives arrested Abubakar on September 4, according to the FPRO.
Iniedu identified her as a graduate of Library and Information Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The police said the incident highlighted the potential consequences of fabricated digital content, particularly when false claims about financial institutions could trigger panic, disrupt transactions and damage corporate reputations.
The FPRO urged Nigerians to verify sensitive information through official channels before sharing or acting on it.
He added that investigations were still underway and that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted after the process was concluded.
The arrest followed the circulation of a fake document titled “Official Note”, which claimed that OPay would cease processing transactions and account services indefinitely from September 1, 2026.
OPay had earlier dismissed the notice as false and assured customers that its operations remained unaffected.
The company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Folayemi Joshua, described the document as “completely false” and urged customers to rely only on its verified communication channels.
OPay also identified several inconsistencies in the purported notice, including the use of an outdated logo, a misspelt brand name and a design that differed from its official documents.
The company’s Chief Legal Counsel, Akinfolabi Rokosu, had said OPay was collaborating with the DSS and the Nigeria Police Force to trace the origin of the fabricated information.
OPay further warned that deliberate dissemination of false information about its operations could attract legal consequences.
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