OPay Shutdown: Arrested Woman Admits Sharing Unverified Notice

A woman arrested by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) for allegedly circulating a fake notice announcing the shutdown of OPay’s operations has expressed regret, admitting that she failed to verify the information before sharing it.

The suspect, identified as Hafsat Abubakar, said she deleted the post and issued a public apology after OPay drew her attention to the publication on its official social media platforms.

Abubakar spoke in a video recorded yesterday while she was being paraded by the police.

Asked whether she had confirmed the authenticity of the information with the person who initially shared it before reposting it, she said, “No, I didn’t.”

She said she became aware of OPay’s objection after the company published a notice on its official social media pages, where her name and X handle, @HAIFAH_ER_ABBA, were mentioned.

Abubakar said she subsequently deleted the post and apologised publicly, adding that she was unaware the information was false when she shared it.

She expressed regret over the incident and urged Nigerians to verify information before posting or sharing it on social media.