A 27-year-old woman named Hafsat Abubakar has said she regrets sharing false news that OPay, a Fintech bank in Nigeria, had shut down. She has asked Nigerians to forgive her.
Hafsat was arrested by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre. The false notice went viral last week, claiming that OPay would stop operating in Nigeria from September 1.
This news caused panic among many Nigerians, but OPay quickly cleared the air and denied the rumors.
In a video released by the police on Thursday, Hafsat admitted she did not check with OPay before sharing the information. When asked if she verified it with the original poster, she said, "No, I didn't".
Hafsat said if she had known the news was false, she would not have shared it. She removed the post and apologized after OPay noticed her post on its social media pages.
She explained that she found out about OPay’s objection when the company posted a notice mentioning her name and her X handle, @HAIFAH_ER_ABBA. Hafsat said, “So I saw the post on Twitter which they wrote my name there and my handle at @HAIFAH_ER_ABBA. That's where they called my attention on Twitter to take it down and tender a public apology, which I made the apology the same day.”
In her apology, she expressed that she was unaware the information was wrong and regretted her actions. She later received an invitation from the police after OPay filed a complaint about the issue.
Hafsat said, "After I apologised for like about five days, which was on 4th of September, I was arrested by Nigeria Police at home.
When I asked what was my offence, they said OPay filed a petition against me and they are also on investigation on the case, so I have to come to Abuja with them from Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.”
Earlier, the police said on August 31, 2026, they received a formal complaint from OPay Digital Services Limited. This came through the Deputy Inspector-General of Police overseeing the Force Criminal Investigations Department.
The complaint was about a fake document that claimed OPay was shutting down. The police noted that this document looked official, featuring OPay’s logo, branding, and a fake management signature.
The police said this false announcement could confuse the public and worry customers. Hafsat, who is an OPay customer, advised Nigerians to check facts before sharing information online.
She said, “My advice to the whole Nigeria is to first verify before posting anything. Either posting or sharing, we have to verify and stop posting or spreading false information.
“OPay is one of my favourite companies and I enjoy doing business with them. I don't wish them any harm or to spoil their reputation. Yes, I never knew the information was false. I wouldn't have posted it.”
Feeling sorry about what happened, Hafsat said, “I regret my actions and any trouble that I have caused them. I'm very sorry.”
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