Ezra Olubi: Adeyanju Reacts as Paystack Suspends Co-founder Over Allegations of Sexual Misconduct
- Paystack, a Nigerian tech company, has suspended Ezra Olubi, its co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO), over allegations of workplace sexual misconduct
- Although Olubi’s X account has been deactivated, social media trends show his tweets were posted before he co-founded Paystack
- As discussions continue to centre on Olubi, a prominent Nigerian lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, waded in on Friday, November 14
Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering metro.
Ikeja, Lagos state - Deji Adeyanju, a human rights lawyer, on Friday, November 14, said Ezra Olubi, the embattled Paystack co-founder, confessed to "despicable atrocities".
In a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, Adeyanju said the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) can proceed to investigate Olubi’s alleged offences.
Source: Twitter
The controversy surrounding Olubi reached heightened proportions as the payment processing company suspended the 39-year-old on Friday, November 14.
Starting from around 2010, the wealthy techpreneur posted several controversial tweets, including vulgar jokes and comments that resurfaced online.
Per TechCabal, Paystack has issued a statement announcing Olubi’s suspension from his duties and responsibilities, pending the outcome of the company's investigations.
The travails of the Order Of The Niger (OON) holder began with social media allegations of sexual misconduct, which were intensified by the resurfacing of his past disturbing tweets. Netizens dug up Olubi’s old posts, which many have described as disturbing and reeking of depravity.
The posts, on his now-deactivated X account, covered topics from sexual harassment to downright paedophilia.
Adeyanju speaks on Paystack's Olubi's travail
Reacting to the controversy, Adeyanju stated that "while tweets alone may not always amount to conclusive admissions of crime under the Evidence Act, they are often enough to raise reasonable suspicion."
He tweeted:
"EZRA and HIS SELF-CONFESSED DESPICABLE ATROCITIES:
"The Nigerian Police @PoliceNG can investigate Ezra Olubi’s self-confessed atrocities of serious offenses including:
a. sexual offences involving minors under Sec. 218-223, Criminal Code Act, the Child Rights Act 2003, the VAPP Act 2015, and the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015.
b. the offence of unnatural carnal knowledge (b.stiality) b.stiality under Sec. 214 (2), Criminal Code Act.
c. v.yeurism and unlawful surveillance under the Cybercrimes Act.
d. sexual harassment and incitement to commit sexual offences under the VAPP Act and the Criminal Code Act."
Source: Twitter
Adeyanju added:
"While tweets alone may not always amount to conclusive admissions of crime under the Evidence Act, they are often enough to raise reasonable suspicion, especially if they describe acts in the first person or, at the very least, constitute sufficient indications of criminal behaviour.
"The NPF suo mot without any petition addressed to it can investigate any situation that raises reasonable suspicion of criminality, and I urge them to do so in this matter, but even if the police investigates as they ought to, it may be difficult to sustain an action for sexual offences without nominal complainants."
Read more on Paystack:
- Beginner's guide to Paystack payment: how to use and integrate it into your business
- Paystack founders Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi and everything they have accomplished
CBN allegedly fines Paystack N250m
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has allegedly fined Paystack N250 million for operating Zap, the company’s peer-to-peer payment app, as a wallet in violation of its regulatory licence.
CBN flagged the new platform as a deposit-taking product, a function of microfinance or a banking license.
Zap, which was launched in March, allows users to send and receive money, making it a consumer-facing digital wallet.
Source: Legit.ng
