The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre has arrested an X user, Hafsat Abubakar, over a social media post urging OPay customers to withdraw their funds from the digital financial services platform.
The police said Abubakar was arrested on September 4 following an investigation into a widely circulated publication claiming that OPay would cease operations on September 1 and indefinitely suspend transaction processing.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Force spokesperson, Ani Iniedu, said the publication advised customers to withdraw their money immediately to avoid possible inconvenience.
OPay had dismissed the notice as false and threatened legal action against its author.
Following the circulation of the claim, the NPF-NCCC commenced a digital forensic investigation and online tracing exercise to determine its source.
According to Iniedu, the investigation identified the X account @haifah_er_abba as the source of the publication and traced it to Abubakar.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect published the notice on her X handle and subsequently shared it through another X handle, @CUTE_HAFSERH, where she tagged social media influencers and accompanied the post with the caption, “REMOVE YOUR MONEY NOW,” the statement reads.
“She stated that she obtained the notice from a WhatsApp status. The publication reportedly recorded approximately 572,000 views within minutes of being posted.
“Three Apple mobile phones were recovered from the suspect as exhibits. Investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the creation and dissemination of the false notice and to identify any other persons who may have been involved.”
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The police said the arrest followed efforts to track the origin and spread of the false information, which had gained significant attention on social media within a short period.
Iniedu added that Abubakar and anyone else found to have played a role in the creation or circulation of the publication would face prosecution.
He said the suspect, alongside any other persons found culpable, would be charged to court after the investigation is concluded.