Paystack suspends co-founder Ezra Olubi amid sexual misconduct allegations
Nigerian payments company Paystack has suspended its co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ezra Olubi, following allegations of sexual misconduct involving a subordinate. The company confirmed the suspension and said it has initiated a formal investigation.
The allegation surfaced on social media on 12 November 2025. Alongside the immediate complaint, numerous tweets authored by Olubi between 2009 and 2013—which include sexually explicit remarks about coworkers, minors and sexualised anime characters—have also resurfaced and intensified public scrutiny.
In its statement to TechCabal, Paystack said:
“Paystack is aware of the allegations involving our Co-founder, Ezra Olubi. We take matters of this nature extremely seriously. Effective immediately, Ezra has been suspended from all duties and responsibilities pending the outcome of a formal investigation.”
The company added:
“Out of respect for the individuals involved and to protect the integrity of the process, we will not be commenting further until the investigation is complete.”
According to the report, several older tweets from Olubi attracted attention once they resurfaced. These include:
A tweet from 23 May 2011 stating: “Monday will be more fun with an ‘a’ in it. Touch a coworker today. Inappropriately.”
Other posts referencing erections in meetings, photographing a coworker’s thighs, or involving minors in sexualised contexts.
Olubi deactivated his X (formerly Twitter) account on 13 November 2025, and had not issued a public response to the allegations or to the resurfaced tweets at the time the story was filed.
Founded in 2015, Paystack is one of Africa’s prominent fintech companies. It was an early African investment by Y Combinator and its acquisition in 2020 remains one of the continent’s most significant fintech exits.
Given the company’s size, influence, and its connection to global payments firm Stripe, the manner in which it handles senior-leadership misconduct is being closely observed across the fintech ecosystem.
Paystack emphasised that the investigation will be “fair, transparent and structured… guided by our policies, our values and our commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all employees.”
This case comes in the wake of other recent workplace-misconduct allegations within the African tech sector, prompting wider discussion on governance, accountability and leadership standards in high-growth organisations.
