By The National Cybercrime Centre of the Nigeria Police Force has taken into custody a 27-year-old woman accused of fabricating and spreading a fake document that claimed fintech giant OPay Nigeria Limited was closing down its operations.
Force spokesperson Anietie Iniedu announced the development at a press briefing held in Abuja on Wednesday, identifying the suspect as Hafsat Abubakar.
According to Iniedu, the arrest came after OPay Digital Services Limited filed a formal complaint on August 31, 2026, asking authorities to urgently track down and arrest whoever was behind the falsified notice. The complaint was routed through the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police overseeing the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja.
The fake document had been designed to look like an official statement from OPay, prompting the company to seek police intervention before the situation could spiral into wider panic.
Iniedu explained that the cybercrime unit moved quickly once the petition was approved, using digital forensic techniques to trace the origins of the false claim. Investigators eventually linked the document to a post shared on the X account @haifah_er_abba, which they identified as belonging to Abubakar.
Officers picked her up on September 4, 2026. Iniedu described her as a graduate of Library and Information Science from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria.
The police boss stressed that the case highlights a growing threat: fabricated digital content that can spark public alarm, disrupt financial systems, and damage the reputation of legitimate businesses. He urged Nigerians to resist forwarding unverified information and instead confirm details through official company or government channels before sharing.
Iniedu added that investigations are continuing and promised that anyone found culpable would be charged once the probe concludes.
Background to the Hoax
This arrest follows an earlier controversy in which a circulating “Official Note” falsely claimed OPay would halt all transactions and account services indefinitely starting September 1, 2026. The fintech firm quickly moved to debunk the claim, insisting it remained fully operational.
Folayemi Joshua, OPay’s Head of Corporate Communications, dismissed the notice as entirely fabricated at the time. The company also flagged several red flags in the forged letter, including a mismatched logo, misspelt branding, and formatting that didn’t match its usual official correspondence.
OPay’s Chief Legal Counsel, Akinfolabi Rokosu, later confirmed the company was collaborating with both the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force to hunt down whoever was responsible for the false alarm, warning that anyone caught spreading such misinformation about the company could face legal consequences.
(Punch)
