Paystack has suspended its co founder and chief technology officer, Ezra Olubi, following allegations of sexual misconduct involving a subordinate. The allegations began circulating on social media on Wednesday November 12 2025, prompting the Stripe owned Nigerian payments company to initiate a formal review.
In a statement to TechCabal, the company confirmed the suspension and said its board has begun a structured investigation in line with internal governance protocols. As of Thursday evening November 13 2025, Olubi had been relieved of all responsibilities. The company said it is in the process of appointing an independent third party to oversee the investigation to ensure fairness, thoroughness, and confidentiality. Paystack said it will not issue further comments until the process is complete.
The allegation has renewed public attention on a collection of decade old tweets by Olubi that resurfaced on Thursday. The tweets, posted between 2009 and 2013, contained sexually explicit descriptions involving colleagues, references to minors, and comments about sexualised anime characters. One tweet from May 23 2011 read, “Monday will be more fun with an ‘a’ in it. Touch a coworker today. Inappropriately.” The posts spread rapidly on X and intensified scrutiny as the company confronts the new allegation. Olubi has not publicly commented and deactivated his X account on Thursday.
This episode comes at a time when African tech ecosystems are grappling with repeated incidents of workplace misconduct involving senior executives. In October, Oscar Limoke, chief executive of Kenyan IT firm Pawa IT Solutions, was fined by the country’s Employment and Labour Relations Court over sexual harassment and assault allegations that contributed to a staff member’s resignation.
Paystack, founded in 2015, is one of the continent’s most influential technology companies. It was among Y Combinator’s earliest African backed startups, and its 2020 acquisition by Stripe for 200 million dollars remains a landmark exit in African tech. Alumni of the company have gone on to build several startups across fintech and infrastructure, making the handling of this investigation a closely watched development for investors, founders, and employees across the sector.
TechCabal also contacted Stripe for comment. The company had not responded at the time of publication.
Paystack has repeatedly emphasised values such as transparency, respect, and clear communication in its employer brand. The resurfaced tweets, although posted more than a decade ago, have raised questions about how senior leaders model those commitments and how consistently such values are upheld within high trust organisations.
“In line with our internal policies, we have established a fair, transparent, and structured review process to conduct a thorough investigation,” Paystack said in a follow up statement. “This process is guided by our policies, our values, and our commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all employees.”
