The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has arrested a woman, Hafsat Abubakar, over the circulation of a false notice purportedly announcing the shutdown of OPay Digital Services Limited.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday, in Abuja.
According to the statement, the suspect was arrested by operatives of the NPF-NCCC on September 4, following digital forensic analysis and online tracing of the viral publication.
The false notice was reportedly designed to resemble an official corporate communication from OPay, bearing the company’s logo, corporate branding, name and a purported management signature and endorsement.
The police said the communication falsely suggested that OPay was shutting down its operations, a development capable of misleading members of the public and creating unnecessary panic among customers.
Following the circulation of the notice, NPF-NCCC operatives commenced investigations to trace its origin and identify those responsible for its creation and dissemination.
The investigation reportedly traced the publication to an X handle, @HAIFAH_ER_ABBA, linked to Abubakar, who was subsequently arrested.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect initially published the notice on her X account and later shared it through another account, @CUTE_HAFSERH.
The police said she tagged social media influencers while accompanying the post with the caption, “REMOVE YOUR MONEY NOW.”
The suspect reportedly told investigators that she obtained the purported OPay notice from a WhatsApp status. The post subsequently recorded approximately 572,000 views within minutes of its publication.
Three Apple mobile phones were recovered from the suspect and taken as exhibits as investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the creation and dissemination of the false communication.
The Force said investigations were ongoing to determine whether other individuals were involved, adding that the suspect and anyone else found culpable would be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, commended NPF-NCCC operatives for tracing the publication and arresting the suspect.
Disu reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to combating cybercrime, digital fraud, impersonation and the circulation of false information through digital platforms.
The police urged members of the public to exercise caution before acting on information circulated online, particularly reports concerning financial institutions, and advised citizens to verify such information through official channels and report suspicious online activities to law enforcement authorities.