Paystack has terminated co-founder and chief technical officer Ezra Olubi for fawning over sex with underage girls and cats, according to Mr Olubi, who has already vowed to challenge the decision.

“On Saturday, 22 November 2025, I was informed that my employment had been terminated,” Mr Olubi wrote in a statement on Sunday, asserting his dismissal contravened Paystack’s termination policies, given he was not allowed to defend himself. “This decision was taken before the supposed investigation was concluded, and without any meeting, hearing, or opportunity for me to respond to the issues raised, in clear contravention of the terms of the suspension and Paystack’s own internal policies.”

Last week, Nigeria’s social media went into a frenzy after Mr Olubi’s decade-old tweets resurfaced. In the tweets, he admitted going on ”all fours” to have sex with his cat and recommended sex with 16-year-olds as a cure to HIV.

He made the tweets about five years before co-founding the payment startup.

In response, Paystack immediately suspended him from his role as chief technical officer and launched an investigation to determine his culpability.

Mr Olubi, 39, said he chose to keep silent about the myriad of accusations against him to avoid “interfering” with Paystack’s “independent” enquiry, but that decision was now haunting him.

He said his silence instead “created a vacuum that allowed assumptions and misrepresentations to spread without challenge” and was exploited to pave the way for his dismissal.

Although Mr Olubi did not explicitly deny the allegations of sexual misconduct in decade-old tweets, he said his colleagues and close friends could vouch for his personal integrity.

“Those who know me personally or professionally understand that the posts being circulated do not reflect my conduct or the way I have lived my life,” Mr Olubi explained. “I have always, to the best of my ability, conducted myself in a manner that respects everyone’s dignity and safety.”

Mr Olubi said, “As co-founder, technical leader and long-serving board member, I have been part of instituting the systems and processes that underpin Paystack’s internal operations. I engaged with this investigation in good faith and cooperated fully with the board’s directives on that basis.”

He said his team of lawyers was examining his termination to determine if it aligned with Paystack’s existing policies.

“My legal team is now reviewing the process that led to my purported termination, including its consistency with internal policies,” said the sacked Paystack co-founder. “They will take the steps they consider appropriate, and I will not be commenting further on this matter at this time.”

Paystack did not immediately respond to a request for comments regarding Mr Olubi’s claim and the legality of sacking him without hearing his defence.