Sunday Ehigiator
The Nigeria Police Force has traced the circulation of a fake notice announcing the purported shutdown of OPay operations to an X account allegedly operated by a 27-year-old woman, Hafsat Abubakar, following a digital forensic investigation by the National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC).
The police said Abubakar was arrested on September 4, 2026, in connection with the investigation, while three Apple iPhones were recovered from her as exhibits.
Force Public Relations Officer, Anietie Iniedu, disclosed this during a press briefing at the NPF-NCCC in Abuja on Wednesday, saying the investigation followed a formal petition submitted by OPay Digital Services Limited.
Iniedu said the petition was received by the NCCC on August 31, 2026, through the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja.
According to him, OPay requested an urgent investigation, tracing and apprehension of persons responsible for creating and circulating the fraudulent document.
“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,” Iniedu said.
The purported notice, which circulated widely on social media, falsely claimed that OPay would stop processing transactions and account-related services from September 1, 2026, and urged customers to withdraw their funds.
The document triggered concerns among some users before OPay moved to disown it, describing the notice as fake and reassuring customers that its operations remained unaffected.
The fintech company also pointed to discrepancies in the document, including the use of an outdated logo, inconsistencies in its corporate name and other features which it said did not correspond with its official communications.
Following the petition, the police said the NCCC immediately commenced a digital forensic investigation to determine the origin of the material and identify those behind its circulation.
Iniedu said the forensic investigation led investigators to an X account allegedly operated by Abubakar. “Upon receipt of the approved petition, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, NCCC, deployed digital forensic tools to analyse the content, which was traced to a post on the X handle, @haifah_er_abba, registered and operated by one Hafsat Abubakar,” he said.
He said police operatives subsequently arrested the suspect on September 4. “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.
The police spokesman said three Apple iPhones were also recovered from the suspect as exhibits as investigators continued to examine the circumstances surrounding the creation and dissemination of the purportedly fraudulent notice.
The recovered devices are expected to form part of the digital evidence being examined by investigators.