Bashir Ahmad Urges OPay To Release Detained Student Over Fake Shutdown Notice

Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad has appealed to OPay Digital Services Limited to reconsider the arrest and detention of Haifa Abubakar over a viral post falsely claiming that the fintech company was shutting down its operations.

Ahmad made the appeal in a post on his X handle on Thursday, saying Haifa had acknowledged her mistake and, according to his understanding, complied with OPay’s request to delete the post and apologise.

“We all know that what Haifa did was wrong and virtually nobody supported her actions. However, I have questions about what happened afterwards,” Ahmad said.

He said OPay initially asked Haifa to remove the post and issue an apology within a specified period, which he said she did.

“From what I have followed, after her tweet went viral, OPay only asked her to take down the post and issue an apology within a specified timeframe. My understanding is that she did exactly what she was asked to do; she removed the post and apologised,” he said.

READ ALSO: Police Arrest Suspect Over Fake OPay Shutdown Notice

Ahmad questioned why the company proceeded with her arrest despite her alleged compliance.

“So, why would OPay still go ahead to have her arrested, particularly if she had complied with the company’s demands?” he asked.

The former aide said his position would have been different if Haifa had refused to delete the post or apologise after being directed to do so.

“But if she did exactly what OPay requested, then I believe there are legitimate questions about why her arrest was still necessary, especially if the decision was influenced by calls from social media users demanding her arrest,” Ahmad said.

He urged OPay to review the matter, describing Haifa as a young woman and student who had admitted her mistake and complied with the corrective measures allegedly requested by the company.

“I therefore want to make a sincere and strong appeal to OPay; please, kindly look into this matter again. Haifa is a young woman and a student. She made a mistake, was called out for it, and, from what we all saw, complied with the corrective steps OPay itself requested,” he said.

Ahmad argued that continued detention would serve little purpose if Haifa had indeed complied with the company’s demands.

“If that is indeed the case, I believe keeping her in custody serves little useful purpose,” he said.

He also called for a distinction between condemning Haifa’s action and condemning her as a person, saying accountability should be balanced with compassion when wrongdoing has been acknowledged.

“We can condemn what Haifa did without condemning her as a person. We can hold people accountable for their mistakes while still showing compassion, especially when they have acknowledged the wrongdoing and complied with the remedy requested of them,” Ahmad said.

He subsequently appealed to OPay to release Haifa, saying the incident should serve as a lesson rather than derail the student’s future.

“OPay, please reconsider this matter. We appeal to you to have Haifa released and allow this incident to end with a lesson learned rather than a young student’s life being unnecessarily derailed,” he added.

TVC News had earlier reported that the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has arrested a suspect over the circulation of a fake notice claiming that OPay Digital Services Limited was shutting down its operations.

The statement, signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, was issued from the Force Headquarters in Abuja on September 10, 2026.

The police said Hafsat Abubakar was arrested on September 4, following digital forensic analysis and online tracing that linked her to the circulation of the fake notice.

The fake communication was designed to resemble an official corporate notice, featuring OPay’s logo, corporate branding, company name and a purported management signature and endorsement.