Banking
Police Arrest X User Over Viral Fake OPay Shutdown Notice
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre has arrested a woman identified as Miss Hafsat Abubakar over the circulation of a fake notice claiming that fintech company OPay Digital Services Limited will shut down its operations.
Miss Abubakar was arrested on September 4, 2026, following a digital forensic investigation by operatives of the NPF-NCCC into the viral notice, which reportedly garnered about 572,000 views within minutes of its publication on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Force disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu.
According to the statement, the false notice was designed to look like an official OPay communication, bearing the company’s logo, corporate branding, name and a purported management signature and endorsement.
The now debunked information falsely announced the shutdown of OPay’s operations by September 1, a development the police said was capable of misleading members of the public and causing unnecessary concern among customers.
The NPF-NCCC said its investigation traced the notice to an X account, @HAIFAH_ER_ABBA, linked to Miss Abubakar.
The suspect was also said to have shared the notice through another X account, @CUTE_HAFSERH, where she tagged social media influencers and urged users to “REMOVE YOUR MONEY NOW.”
The police said Miss Abubakar claimed she obtained the notice from a WhatsApp status.
Three Apple mobile phones were recovered from her as exhibits.
The force said investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the creation and dissemination of the false notice and establish whether other individuals were involved.
It added that Miss Abubakar and any other persons found culpable would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigations.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Tunji Disu, commended the NPF-NCCC operatives for tracing the publication and arresting the suspect.
Mr Disu reiterated the police commitment to tackling cybercrime, digital fraud, impersonation and the spread of false information online.
The Nigerian police also urged members of the public to verify information circulated on social media, particularly claims concerning financial institutions and services, through the official communication channels of the organisations involved before taking action.
