Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has called on the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to launch a formal investigation into Paystack co-founder, Ezra Olubi, following widespread allegations of sexual misconduct.

In a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday, Adeyanju argued that multiple Nigerian laws empower the police to act independently and begin an investigation without waiting for a formal petition.

According to him, “The Nigerian Police can investigate Ezra Olubi’s self-confessed atrocities involving serious offences, including sexual offences against minors under Sections 218–223 of the Criminal Code Act, the Child Rights Act 2003, the VAPP Act 2015, and the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015.”

He further claimed that the allegations also touch on “unnatural carnal knowledge (bestiality) under Section 214(2) of the Criminal Code Act, voyeurism and unlawful surveillance under the Cybercrimes Act, and sexual harassment and incitement to commit sexual offences under the VAPP Act and the Criminal Code Act.”

SaharaReporters earlier reported that Paystack—now owned by Stripe—relieved Olubi of his duties as Chief Technology Officer after a sexual misconduct allegation involving a subordinate went viral on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. In a statement to TechCabal, the company confirmed his suspension and noted that a “formal investigation” had commenced.

The allegation also triggered renewed scrutiny of years-old tweets attributed to Olubi, including explicit sexual remarks about colleagues, minors, and anime characters. Several posts between 2009 and 2013—containing sexual jokes, inappropriate descriptions of coworkers, and references involving minors—resurfaced on X, fuelling widespread debate about workplace conduct and professionalism in Nigeria’s tech industry.

One resurfaced tweet from May 23, 2011 read:
“Monday will be more fun with an ‘a’ in it. Touch a coworker today. Inappropriately.”

TechCabal reported that Olubi had been contacted for comment via email but had not responded at the time of publication.

Adeyanju noted that while social media posts do not automatically amount to legal confessions, they can be sufficient to trigger an inquiry.
“While tweets alone may not always amount to conclusive admissions of crime under the Evidence Act, they may raise reasonable suspicion, especially if they describe acts in the first person or indicate potential criminal behaviour,” he said.

He stressed that the police have the legal authority to commence investigations on their own initiative.
“The NPF, suo motu, without any petition, can investigate any situation that raises reasonable suspicion of criminality, and I urge them to do so in this matter,” Adeyanju wrote.

However, he cautioned that even with a police investigation, prosecution may be challenging without identifiable complainants:
“Even if the police investigates as they ought to, it may be difficult to sustain an action for sexual offences without nominal complainants.”