OPay has called for an investigation by the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force over a viral social media rumour claiming that the fintech company was shutting down its operations in Nigeria.

OPay’s Chief Legal Counsel, Akinfolabi Rokosu, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press conference organised by the company.

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Rokosu said the DSS and police were among the law enforcement agencies investigating the circulation of the false information, adding that OPay had provided evidence to help identify those responsible.

“While the DSS and the Nigeria police, among the relevant law enforcement agencies, are currently and intensively investigating this matter, we are fully cooperating with the ongoing investigations being conducted and have provided the necessary evidence to identify those responsible for it,” he said.

He added that OPay would take legal action against individuals responsible for creating and circulating the information.

“Opay is taking action against those responsible for creating and circulating this harmful information. We will pursue them and will ensure that the law is fully enforced,” Rokosu said.

Also speaking, OPay’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer, Dotun Adekunle, reassured customers that the company remained operational and had no plans to leave Nigeria.

“OPay is here, OPay is operating, and OPay is going nowhere,” he said.

Adekunle described the circulating message as false and noted that the alleged shutdown date mentioned in the message had already passed.

“The message that is circulating online is false. It did not come from OPay. There is no decision from OPay or by OPay to shut down its operations in Nigeria, and there is no indefinite leave,” he said.
He urged customers not to make financial decisions based on unverified messages shared on social media or messaging platforms.
The controversy followed a viral notice claiming that OPay would suspend its Nigerian operations from September 1, 2026, and advising customers to withdraw their funds to avoid losing access to their accounts.
OPay had earlier dismissed the notice as false and urged customers to rely on its official communication channels for accurate information.
The fintech also asked an X user who shared information about the alleged shutdown to retract the post and apologise. The user subsequently deleted the post and apologised.

More than 3,000 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) following the country’s deadliest-ever Ebola outbreak, according to the latest official figures released on Wednesday.

The Congolese National Institute of Public Health said the outbreak has so far killed 3,007 people and infected 6,186 others, representing a fatality rate of 48.6 per cent.

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The health agency also reported that 1,409 people have recovered from the disease.
The outbreak, which was declared in mid-May, originated in the remote northeastern province of Ituri and has spread to six provinces, including areas severely affected by insecurity and the activities of armed groups.

Ebola is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and can cause severe haemorrhagic fever. The virus has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.

Health authorities are facing significant challenges in containing the virus, with the response reportedly hampered by inadequate resources, insecurity and mistrust among some communities.

Several vaccines and treatments are being tested against the Bundibugyo strain. Existing approved Ebola vaccines are effective against the Zaire strain, which was responsible for the largest known Ebola outbreak.

The World Health Organisation has recommended a Phase Three clinical trial of Ervebo, a vaccine used against the Zaire strain, to determine whether it can also protect against Bundibugyo.

WHO experts remain uncertain about Ervebo’s effectiveness against the strain, although preliminary data indicate that it could provide some level of protection.

Meanwhile, a batch of 16,250 vaccine doses arrived in DR Congo at the end of August for frontline health workers, with vaccination beginning shortly afterwards in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo Province.

The latest outbreak has already surpassed the country’s previous worst Ebola epidemic, which occurred between 2018 and 2020 and killed nearly 2,300 people from about 3,500 reported cases.

Authorities and international health partners are continuing efforts to contain the outbreak as infections and fatalities rise.

Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has defended the inclusion of former Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Betta Edu, in President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 campaign structure despite her ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Wike argued that being investigated by the EFCC does not prevent an individual from participating in political activities or canvassing votes for a candidate.

The former Rivers State governor made the remarks on Wednesday during a media parley he hosted, which was aired on Channels Television.

SEE MORE: Betta Edu: EFCC Grills Officials, ICPC Recovers N50bn

The FCT minister questioned what he described as a double standard in the criticism surrounding Edu’s inclusion in the campaign council, noting that people facing criminal allegations had previously contested elections and won.

“You (media) were asking the moral justification of putting someone who has an EFCC case to be in a campaign council. And I was just watching the lady. The lady doesn’t even know what to say,” Wike said.

He added, “Now, somebody cannot be in a campaign to canvass for votes for a particular person, but somebody who has an EFCC case can contest an election and win an election?”

Wike said there had been instances where individuals facing criminal allegations contested elections and eventually became elected officials.

“This person had an EFCC case in court, charged to court. He contested an election and became a Governor,” he said without naming the person.

The minister further argued that even a person serving a prison sentence could canvass votes for a political candidate.

“Listen. Even a prisoner… maybe they have somebody in prison. I go and visit the person. The person can tell me, ‘My brother, I want you to support so-and-so candidate.’ A prisoner has canvassed for vote,” Wike stated.

He also referred to an unnamed person allegedly linked to a coup plot, saying the individual had also canvassed votes for a political candidate.

“I was watching, when Channels, when Sunrise, who came up to say, ‘Ah, how can somebody who’s being looked for as a coup plotter is now canvassing for votes for so-and-so government?’ Somebody EFCC is looking for is now canvassing for votes for so-and-so person.

“But… a party, or a candidate cannot, simply because EFCC is investigating the person, cannot be a member of the campaign council to campaign for votes,” he said.

Controversy over Betta Edu’s campaign role
The controversy followed Edu’s inclusion in the campaign structure for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Edu was listed as Director of Women Mobilisation in the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

She was suspended by President Tinubu in January 2024 following allegations of financial impropriety and was subsequently investigated by the EFCC.

However, Edu has not been publicly declared guilty of any offence in connection with the investigation.

APC campaign council spokesperson, Kemi Asekun-Shittu, had earlier defended Edu’s inclusion during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief.

Asekun-Shittu said Edu had not been found guilty and argued that it would be unfair to prevent her from participating in political activities while awaiting the outcome of the investigation.

“I’d like to say that for Betta Edu, for example, she has not been found guilty. And it will be unfair to ask that she leaves her life or refuses to live her life until the EFCC declares her,” she said.

She added that Edu deserved an opportunity to present herself again for the party, noting that the case had lasted almost two years.

Asekun-Shittu also said the campaign committee was an internal party affair and that the APC could determine who would serve on it, while stressing that the list was not final and could still be reviewed.