The Nigeria Police Force's National Cybercrime Centre has arrested a 27-year-old woman, Hafsat Abubakar, over the alleged creation and circulation of a forged document falsely claiming that fintech company OPay was shutting down its operations.
Force spokesperson Ani Iniedu disclosed the arrest at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, saying the centre acted on a formal petition filed by OPay Digital Services Limited on August 31, after the fabricated notice began circulating online.
The document carried OPay's logo, corporate branding and a purported management signature, and was shared with the caption "REMOVE YOUR MONEY NOW." Police said the post drew about 572,000 views within minutes and sparked panic among some OPay customers.
Digital forensic analysis traced the notice to an X account, @HAIFAH_ER_ABBA, registered to Abubakar, a Library and Information Science graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Police said she was arrested on September 4 and told investigators she obtained the notice from a WhatsApp status before sharing it on her account and a second handle, tagging other social media influencers. Three mobile phones were recovered from her as exhibits.
OPay had already dismissed the shutdown claim as false before the arrest. Its chief legal counsel, Akinfolabi Moses, said at a press conference that both the police and the State Security Service were investigating the matter. Police said the investigation is ongoing to determine whether other individuals were involved, and warned the public against sharing unverified information capable of triggering panic or financial disruption.
