The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 27-year-old Hafsat Abubakar for allegedly creating and circulating a fake document claiming that OPay Nigeria Limited was shutting down.
Force Public Relations Officer, Anietie Iniedu, disclosed this on Wednesday during a briefing at the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja.
He said OPay Digital Services Limited petitioned the police on August 31, 2026, requesting an investigation into the document.
“On the 31st of August 2026, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, NPF-NCCC, received a formal petition from OPAY Digital Services Limited through the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja, requesting urgent investigation, tracing and apprehension of persons responsible for the creation and circulation of a fraudulent document falsely presented as an official communication issued by OPay Nigeria Limited,” Iniedu said.
The police traced the document to Abubakar’s X account, @Hafsat_ER_ABBA, using digital forensic tools.
“On the 4th of September 2026, police operatives of the NCCC arrested one Hafsat Abubakar, a 27-year-old female graduate of Library and Information Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria,” Iniedu said.
OPay had earlier denied the shutdown rumour, saying, “OPay is not going on break by September. We’re here, and we’re going nowhere!”
The company also urged customers to verify information before sharing it.
