The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership has urged the authorities to investigate sexual assault charges against Paystack co-founder Ezra Olubi, who was suspended by the company over the allegations.
There was public outcry on Friday when the Stripe-owned Nigerian payments processor revealed Olubi’s suspension for alleged sexual misbehavior with a subordinate.
According to reports, the incident began on Wednesday when a woman who had previously dated Olubi went online to express personal concerns against him.
The article highlighted a number of old tweets reportedly linked to Olubi from 2009 and 2013, which users claimed contained sexually explicit statements about coworkers and minors.
The posts sparked new debates about accountability, personal behavior, and how past social media activity might haunt public officials. Olubi has deactivated his X account.
Some of the unearthed tweets sparked considerable outrage, including one that read, “I judge my female friends by the sound of their pee,” and another that stated, “Save water. Take a bath with your neighbor’s daughter.
One tweet, issued on May 23, 2011, read: “Monday will be more fun with an ‘a’ in it. Contact a coworker today. Inappropriately.”
Chronicle NG reported on Friday that the company said it had opened a formal investigation into the matter.
“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 said in a confirmation statement made to TechCabal.
The firm added that it would not be offering further comments while the process is ongoing.
“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,” Paystack said.
Speaking on the issue, CACOL Executive Director Debo Adeniran said the allegations, going by the outrage they have generated on social media, raise serious moral and criminal concerns.
Adeniran described the issue as “moral corruption,” insisting that anyone holding an executive position must be “aboveboard in all his or her conduct.”
He stated that while consensual relationships between adults might not constitute a criminal offense, the narrative changes entirely if minors are involved.
“If it is with minors, anybody under 18, then it is a criminal offense. No matter how it happens, once it involves an underage girl, the police should step in and ensure justice is done,” he said.
Adeniran also added that a minor cannot, under the law, be held responsible for such encounters.
“A minor is not capable of seducing an adult who is conscious of his integrity. So basically, that is a criminal offense that the police should step in and deal with,” he added.
Adeniran condemned any delay by the company in notifying authorities if underage victims were involved.
“The company itself should have even handed him over to the police for investigation without waiting for parents or guardians of the minor to complain,” he said.
He emphasized that a thorough police probe is necessary, both to establish the facts and to ensure accountability where any criminal breaches are confirmed.
Chronicle NG gathered that the allegations, still unproven and under investigation by Paystack, sparked a wave of public reaction on Friday, with many X users responding to resurfaced old tweets and claims of personal misconduct.
Gimba Kakanda, a presidential aide on research and analytics, criticized the cultural narrative surrounding unconventional genius in light of the ongoing allegations against Paystack co-founder Ezra Olubi, claiming that people like him are shaped by pop-culture socialization that suggests one cannot be a genius unless they deviate from established patterns of behavior.
