By Ireti Asemota.
In the fast-paced world of Nigerian fintech, few names shine as brightly as Ezra Olubi. As co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Paystack—the groundbreaking payment platform acquired by Stripe for over $200 million in 2020—Olubi has long been celebrated as a visionary. With his flamboyant style, painted nails, and outspoken advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and feminism, he embodied the progressive edge of Africa’s tech boom. But on November 13, 2025, that carefully curated image shattered like glass under the weight of his own words. Old tweets from 2010 to 2017 resurfaced, revealing a trail of depravity that has left the internet reeling, demanding justice, and questioning the very foundations of power in tech.
What started as a personal breakup has snowballed into a national reckoning. Olubi’s polyamorous “polycule”—a relationship with two bisexual women who were also dating each other—ended explosively. One partner, known online as “Maki” (real name Max Obae), unleashed a scathing email titled “Severance” accusing him of emotional abuse, misogyny, financial exploitation, and using a fake persona (“Akeem”) to troll feminists online. Maki claimed Olubi posed as a gay man to infiltrate feminist circles, subjecting partners to “humiliation rituals” and treating them as “sex objects” while wielding his wealth as control. Her revelations, shared amid allegations he tried to frame her with drugs at an airport, prompted a digital deep dive into his past. By evening, #EzraOlubi was exploding across X with over 180,000 mentions, and Olubi had deactivated his account (@0x or @ezraolubi).
A Timeline of the Tweets: From “Dark Humor” to Digital Damnation
The screenshots, archived in a viral GitHub repo called “Ezra Olubi Evidence Archive” that’s racked up thousands of views, paint a picture of unchecked perversion. These aren’t isolated slips; they’re a decade-long pattern of tweets that glorify pedophilia, bestiality, workplace harassment, and even knowingly spreading HIV and Hepatitis B—conditions Olubi casually admitted to having after a checkup. Here’s a breakdown of the most damning ones, pulled from widespread shares (content warning: these are graphic and deeply triggering):
| Year | Tweet Excerpt | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | “On a lighter note, I hear sex with a minor cures HIV. So my +ve followers, help yourselves.” | Trivializes child rape as a “cure,” endangering minors and mocking HIV stigma. |
| 2012 | Bio: “Cat lover” with descriptions of graphic sex acts with cats; “I get a boner anytime my cat comes around me.” | Overt bestiality; a resurfaced photo of Olubi cradling a black cat has amplified the horror. |
| 2013 | “I like them young, clueless, and innocent.” | Clear sexualization of underage girls. |
| 2014 | “Can you contract STD by having sex with just your cat for months? My pee has split.” | Self-admitted bestiality tied to health risks. |
| 2009–2013 | “I judge my female friends by the sound their pee makes” (via hidden bathroom audio); tweets about workplace cameras spying on women’s bodies. | Voyeurism and endorsement of sexual harassment in professional settings. |
| Various | “Rape is always the answer. It stopped apartheid in SA. It cured aids. Now it’s been tested on lesbians.” | Glorifies sexual violence against women and queer people. |
Olubi himself tweeted once, “I am a pervert I wonder how long it will take you guys to realize that.” Shockingly, many of these posts garnered likes at the time—evidence of a social media era where “edgy” humor excused the inexcusable. But in 2025, with #MeToo’s echoes still ringing, the defense of “it was just dark humor” is crumbling under the weight of real harm.
The Internet’s Fury: Outrage, Hypocrisy, and Calls for Accountability
X lit up like a bonfire. Users from feminists to everyday Nigerians expressed visceral disgust: “Ezra Olubi’s tweets have to be the most worrisome thing I have seen in a long time. This dude is making Epstein look like a joke,” tweeted @walejana. Another, @ChildHealthhero, urged: “We really need to normalize checking a potential partner’s social media before saying ‘yes.’ Some of these posts people are hiding online are wild.” The polycule angle drew fire too—posts mocked his “triple income, no kids” boast from earlier this year, now twisted into symbols of predatory privilege.
Critics zeroed in on hypocrisy. Olubi, a 2022 recipient of Nigeria’s Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) for tech contributions, funded feminist causes and championed queer visibility—dreads, lipstick, and all. Yet Maki alleged it was a facade to “lure feminists” and “break the feminism out of them.” His silence—and that of his “BFFs” in activist circles—has fueled betrayal: “Are you now going to speak up?” one ex-partner tagged them. As @OreochromisN put it, “We want to turn this to a war against money-silenced feminists!? Na wa sha.”
Broader reflections emerged too. @misshembe warned: “This moment should shake the entire tech ecosystem. If a community is only good at celebrating its stars, but terrible at confronting its monsters then something is deeply, dangerously broken.” @Leogabson added: “The internet never forgets. Your digital footprint is permanent.”
Legal Shadows and Corporate Quakes
This isn’t just online drama—it’s potential crime. Nigerian legal experts flag violations of the Criminal Code Act (§214 for bestiality: up to 14 years; §222 for child indecency: 7 years) and the Cybercrimes Act for online child exploitation. Tweets are admissible evidence, per the Evidence Act, and calls for police probes into victims—minors, employees, animals—are mounting. NGOs like WARIF and NAPTIP have been tagged, demanding investigations.
For Paystack, the stakes are existential. As a Central Bank of Nigeria-regulated entity under Stripe, Olubi’s role invites “fitness and propriety” reviews. Petitions seek his OON revocation, and merchants whisper of boycotts. Stripe’s global rep hangs in the balance—no statement yet, but Monday looms large. As @Realobiagu noted, “For years, he has been one of the most eccentric faces in Nigeria’s tech space… adored by many progressive circles online.” Now, he’s a pariah.
The Bigger Picture: When Icons Crumble
Ezra Olubi’s story isn’t isolated—it’s a mirror to our digital age. Born in 1986 in Ibadan, a Babcock University computer science grad, he built Paystack from Y Combinator’s accelerator into a continent-spanning giant. He mentored programmers, consulted on tech, and yes, pushed boundaries with his style. But unchecked power—wealth from a $200M exit, influence in queer and feminist spaces—breeds monsters.
This scandal forces uncomfortable truths: Digital words endure. Allyship without accountability is performative. And in tech’s boys’ club, predators hide in plain sight. As @monsurahrufai_ reflected, “Watching Ezra Olubi’s old tweets resurface has made me reflect on the kind of society we’ve become.”
What happens next? Verification of screenshots via forensics, corporate firings, perhaps trials. But beyond Olubi, it’s a call to action: Vet your heroes. Amplify victims. And remember, the algorithm rewards outrage, but real change demands scrutiny.
What do you think—time for tech to clean house? Drop your takes in the comments. Stay vigilant, folks.
Sources: Compiled from Naija News, Linda Ikeji’s Blog, Leadership NG, NewsOnline Nigeria, X trends, and community archives. This story evolves—check back for updates.
