Paystack suspends Co-Founder Ezra Olubi over sexual misconduct allegation
Paystack, the Stripe-owned Nigerian payments company, has suspended its co-founder and chief technology officer, Ezra Olubi, following an allegation of sexual misconduct involving a subordinate. The claim began circulating on social media on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. Paystack confirmed the suspension to TechCabal and said it has launched a formal investigation.
The allegation has also renewed attention on several of Olubi’s decade-old tweets, some of which contain sexually explicit remarks about colleagues and minors. TechCabal reached out to Olubi for comment, but he had not responded as of the time of publication.
“Paystack is aware of the allegations involving our Co-founder, Ezra Olubi,” the company said in a statement. “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 that it would not provide further comment until the investigative process is complete, citing respect for those involved and the need to preserve the integrity of the review.
Between 2009 and 2013, Olubi posted a series of tweets containing explicit jokes about coworkers, references to sexual content in workplace contexts, and comments involving minors and sexualised fictional characters.
One post from May 23, 2011, read: “Monday will be more fun with an ‘a’ in it. Touch a coworker today. Inappropriately.” Screenshots of these tweets resurfaced on Thursday and quickly spread across X, prompting renewed scrutiny as the investigation unfolds.
Olubi has not publicly addressed the allegations or the resurfaced tweets, and he deactivated his X account on Wednesday, 13 November 2025.
The controversy emerges at a time when Africa’s tech ecosystem has already faced multiple cases of workplace misconduct involving senior leaders. In October, Oscar Limoke, CEO of Kenyan IT company Pawa IT Solutions, was fined by the Employment and Labour Relations Court after sexual harassment and assault allegations led to an employee’s resignation.
Founded in 2015, Paystack was among the earliest African startups backed by Y Combinator, and its $200 million acquisition by Stripe in 2020 remains one of Africa’s landmark tech exits.
“In line with our internal policies, we have established a fair, transparent, and structured review process to conduct a thorough investigation,” the company added. “This process is guided by our policies, our values, and our commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all employees.”
Source: Pulse
