The Nigeria Police Force’s National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC) has arrested a 27-year-old woman, Hafsat Abubakar, in connection with a forged document that falsely claimed fintech company OPay Nigeria Limited was shutting down its operations.
Force Public Relations Officer, Anietie Iniedu, announced the arrest at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, saying it followed a petition OPay Digital Services Limited filed on August 31, 2026, through the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department.
Iniedu said the petition sought an urgent probe into the creation and spread of the fake document, which was presented as an official OPay communication. Once the petition was approved, the NCCC deployed digital forensic tools to analyse the content and trace its source to a post from the X handle @haifah_er_abba, operated by Abubakar.
Police operatives arrested Abubakar on September 4, 2026. According to Iniedu, she is a graduate of Library and Information Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The police spokesman said the case highlights the risks of digitally fabricated content, which can trigger public panic, financial disruption, and reputational harm. He cautioned Nigerians against sharing unverified sensitive information and said the investigation continues, with a promise that anyone found culpable will be prosecuted.
PUNCH had earlier reported that OPay dismissed the shutdown claim as false. A fabricated “Official Note” circulating online had alleged the company would halt transactions and account services from September 1. OPay’s Head of Corporate Communications, Folayemi Joshua, called the notice entirely false, noting the company remained fully operational and pointing to telltale flaws in the fake document — an outdated logo, a misspelt brand name, and formatting that didn’t match OPay’s official style.
OPay’s Chief Legal Counsel, Akinfolabi Rokosu, said the company was working with the DSS and police to trace the source of the false claim, warning that anyone found deliberately spreading it could face legal consequences.
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