A 27-year-old Nigerian woman who allegedly shared a false notice claiming that OPay was shutting down its operations had apologised to the fintech company days before her arrest by the police.
The woman, identified as Hafsat Abubakar, reportedly shared the apology on her X account, @haifah_er_abba, on August 31, 2026.
In the post, Abubakar acknowledged sharing information claiming that OPay would suspend its operations indefinitely from September 1.
She said the information had already been circulating for several days before she shared it, but later discovered that the claim was false.
Abubakar said she subsequently deleted the post and apologised to OPay and anyone who may have been misled by the information.
“I have come to the notice that it was false and misleading information.
“I have taken down my post, @OPay_NG operations are normal and there is no break or shutdown, I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and reposting misleading information, Thank you for your understanding.”
The apology surfaced after the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) announced that Abubakar had been arrested over the alleged creation and circulation of the fabricated OPay shutdown notice.
According to the police, OPay Digital Services Limited petitioned the authorities on August 31, requesting an investigation into the source of the document and the identification of those responsible for circulating it.
The NPF-NCCC said its digital forensic investigation subsequently traced the document to the X account @haifah_er_abba, which police alleged was registered and operated by Abubakar.
Police operatives reportedly arrested her on September 4.
The fake notice allegedly claimed that OPay would stop processing transactions and account-related services indefinitely from September 1.
OPay had dismissed the notice as false and assured customers that its services remained operational.
The police said the investigation is ongoing, while Abubakar remains an alleged suspect and has not been convicted of any offence.
The emergence of her earlier apology adds another development to the case, showing that she had publicly acknowledged and deleted the post before the police announced her arrest.
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