LAGOS: Nigerian payments company Paystack has suspended its co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ezra Olubi, following allegations of sexual misconduct involving a subordinate.
The claims surfaced on social media on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, prompting Paystack to confirm the suspension and announce the launch of a formal investigation.
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 investigation concludes, citing the need to preserve the integrity of the review and respect all parties involved.
The allegations have also drawn attention to several of Olubi’s decade-old tweets, some containing sexually explicit remarks about colleagues and references involving minors.
Screenshots of these posts resurfaced on Thursday, going viral across X (formerly Twitter).
One controversial tweet from May 23, 2011, read: Monday will be more fun with an ‘a’ in it. Touch a coworker today. Inappropriately.
Olubi has not publicly responded to the claims or the resurfaced tweets and deactivated his X account on Wednesday, 13 November 2025.
The incident comes amid growing scrutiny of workplace conduct in Africa’s tech sector.
In October, Oscar Limoke, CEO of Kenyan IT firm Pawa IT Solutions, was fined by the Employment and Labour Relations Court after allegations of sexual harassment and assault led to an employee’s resignation.
Founded in 2015, Paystack became one of Africa’s first startups backed by Y Combinator and was acquired by Stripe in 2020 for $200 million, marking one of the continent’s landmark tech exits.
Paystack emphasized that its review process is guided by company policies, values, and a commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful work environment for all employees.
