adsThe arrest of a 27-year-old woman over a fake notice claiming that OPay would shut down its Nigerian operations has shifted attention from the viral rumour to the wider risks of misinformation in the country’s fast-growing digital payments industry.
The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre said it traced the document to an X account allegedly operated by Hafsat Abubakar after receiving a petition from OPay Digital Services Limited.
“On the 31st of August 2026, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, 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 simulation of a fraudulent document falsely presented as an official communication issued by OPay Nigeria Limited,” Police spokesman Anietie Iniedu said during a press briefing at the NPF-NCCC in Abuja.
Police said digital forensic tools were deployed to analyse the document before tracing its origin, with Abubakar arrested on September 4. Three mobile phones were also reportedly recovered as exhibits, while the investigation continues.
