Ex-Aide Appeals OPay Arrest

​Ahmad Seeks Release for Student Over Fake Shutdown Notice

​Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad has publicly appealed to OPay Digital Services Limited to reconsider the detention of 27-year-old Hafsat Abubakar, who was arrested by cybercrime operatives over a viral social media post.

​Abubakar was taken into custody by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) on September 4, 2026, following a formal petition by the fintech company. The arrest stems from a misleading notice circulated online that falsely claimed OPay was shutting down its operations, triggering widespread panic and prompting customers to withdraw funds.

​In a statement posted via X on Thursday, Ahmad acknowledged that the suspect’s actions were wrong but emphasized that she had fully complied with the company’s preliminary corrective demands. According to the former aide, Abubakar removed the post and issued a public apology within the timeframe specified by OPay.

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​”If she did exactly what OPay requested, then I believe there are legitimate questions about why her arrest was still necessary,” Ahmad stated, urging the company to balance institutional accountability with compassion for a young student. He cautioned that keeping her in custody serves little purpose and appealed for her release so the incident can conclude as a lesson rather than a permanent blemish on her future.

​The police maintain that the digital forensic tracking traced the viral publication directly to an X handle linked to Abubakar, stressing that dissemination of unverified financial misinformation poses severe security and economic threats. Authorities have since intensified warnings to the public against spreading unverified corporate rumors online.