Woman Arrested Over Fake OPay Shutdown Notice Says She Deleted Post, Apologised

Hafsat Abubakar, the woman arrested over the alleged creation and circulation of a forged document claiming that fintech company OPay had shut down its operations, has said she deleted the post and publicly apologised after the company identified it as fake.

 

Abubakar disclosed this while speaking to journalists after she was paraded at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

 

She said she was arrested five days after deleting the post and apologising, following a petition filed by OPay.

 

“When I saw the notice immediately after they made it, I deleted the post immediately and rendered an apology on the same day. They gave me an hour to take it down and apologise before 11:59pm on August 31, and I did. I took the post down around 8pm and made an apology before 11pm,” she said.

 

Abubakar said she was arrested at her home in Zaria, Kaduna State, on September 4 and brought to Abuja for questioning.

 

“After I apologised, about five days later, which was on September 4, I was arrested by the Nigeria Police at home. When I asked what my offence was, they said OPay had filed a petition against me and that they were also investigating the case, so I had to come to Abuja with them from Zaria, Kaduna State,” she said.

 

She explained that she had initially shared the information on her X account because she believed it was genuine.

 

“I told them that I never knew the information was false. That was why I posted it on my page, and I regretted any inconvenience caused by spreading the false information,” she said.

 

Abubakar said she did not resist OPay’s demand to delete the post and apologise.

 

Asked whether she resisted taking down the publication or issuing the apology, she said, “No, there wasn’t.”

 

She advised Nigerians to verify information before posting or resharing content on social media.

 

“My advice to the whole of Nigeria is to first verify before posting anything, either posting or resharing. We have to verify it and stop posting,” she stated.

 

The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre had earlier announced Abubakar’s arrest over the circulation of the fake notice claiming that OPay Digital Services Limited had shut down its operations.

 

The NPF-NCCC said she was arrested on September 4, 2026, after its operatives traced the publication to an X account linked to her.

 

Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said the NPF-NCCC commenced digital forensic analysis and online tracing after the notice was circulated.

 

According to him, the investigation was aimed at establishing the source of the notice and identifying those responsible for its dissemination.

 

He said the investigation traced the publication to the X handle @HAIFAH_ER_ABBA, which was linked to Abubakar.