The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre has arrested a 27-year-old woman, Hafsat Abubakar, over the alleged creation and circulation of a fake document claiming that fintech company OPay Nigeria Limited was shutting down its operations.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Anietie Iniedu, disclosed this during a press briefing at the NPF-NCCC in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to Iniedu, the arrest followed a petition filed by OPay Digital Services Limited on August 31, 2026, seeking an investigation into the origin of the fraudulent document and the arrest of those responsible.
He said the police deployed digital forensic tools to analyse the document, which was traced to a post on the X account, @haifah_er_abba, allegedly operated by Abubakar.
Police operatives subsequently arrested Abubakar on September 4.
Iniedu identified her as a graduate of Library and Information Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and said the case remained under investigation.
He warned that digitally fabricated information could cause public panic, financial disruption and reputational damage, urging Nigerians to verify sensitive information through official channels before sharing it.
The police spokesperson added that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted after the investigation.
The development followed OPay’s earlier denial of a viral notice claiming that the company would stop processing transactions and account services indefinitely from September 1, 2026.
OPay described the notice as completely false and urged customers to rely only on its official communication channels. The company also identified inconsistencies in the document, including an outdated logo, a misspelt brand name and a layout that differed from its official communications.
OPay’s Chief Legal Counsel, Akinfolabi Rokosu, had said the company was working with the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force to identify the source of the false information.