The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre has arrested a 27-year-old woman, Hafsat Abubakar, over a forged document that falsely suggested fintech firm OPay Nigeria Limited was shutting down.
Force Public Relations Officer Anietie Iniedu said at a briefing at the centre in Abuja on Wednesday that the arrest followed a petition from OPay Digital Services Limited on 31 August 2026, sent through the Deputy Inspector-General in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department. The petition asked for an urgent investigation into who created and circulated a notice presented as official OPay communication.
Officers examined the material and traced it to the X account @haifah_er_abba, registered to Abubakar. She was arrested on 4 September. Iniedu identified her as a graduate of Library and Information Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He said fabricated notices of this kind can cause public panic, disrupt payments and damage a company’s name, and he warned people not to share sensitive claims until they check official channels. The investigation continues; anyone found culpable will face prosecution, he said.
OPay had already denied a viral claim that it would stop operations from 1 September. Head of Corporate Communications Folayemi Joshua called the “Official Note” completely false and said the firm was still running. The company flagged an outdated logo, a misspelt brand name and a layout that did not match its real notices. Chief Legal Counsel Akinfolabi Rokosu said OPay was working with the Department of State Services and the police.
A shutdown rumour aimed at a payments company is not a harmless joke. It can send customers rushing to empty wallets or to rival apps. The police case now turns on authorship and intent. Until a charge sheet is filed, the public facts are a forged note, a named account, an arrest and a company that says it never closed. The practical lesson for users is older than the app: if the logo looks wrong and the grammar slips, wait for the firm’s own channel before you treat a screenshot as policy.
