Paystack, the Nigerian payments company owned by Stripe, has suspended its Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ezra Olubi, following allegations of s3xual misconduct involving a subordinate.
Gatekeepers News reports that the controversy emerged on social media on Wednesday after a former partner of Olubi published personal complaints online. The post drew renewed attention to tweets Olubi shared between 2009 and 2013, many containing s3xually suggestive content involving colleagues and minors. Olubi has since deactivated his X account.
Several of the resurfaced tweets sparked public outrage. One read, “I judge my female friends by the sound of their pee make. Thanks to the audio in my bathroom,” while another stated, “Save water. Take a bath with your neighbour’s daughter.” A tweet from May 23, 2011, added, “Monday will be more fun with an ‘a’ in it. Touch a coworker today. Inappropriately.”
According to TechCabal, Paystack has launched a formal investigation into the allegations. The company said in a statement:
“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 firm 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.”
Founded in 2015 by Ezra Olubi and Shola Akinlade, Paystack provides online and offline payment infrastructure to businesses across Africa. The company became the first Nigerian startup accepted into the Y Combinator accelerator in 2016 and grew to serve tens of thousands of merchants.
In 2020, global payments giant Stripe acquired Paystack for over US$200 million, marking one of Nigeria’s largest fintech exits. Olubi, as CTO, played a key role in building the company’s technology infrastructure, helping it scale nationally and across Africa.
