How Ezra Olubi’s “Queer Facade” Dragged Nigeria’s Top Feminists into the Abyss

A seismic scandal has rocked Nigerian Twitter (X) for over a week, exposing alleged sexual predation, financial corruption, and mass hypocrisy among prominent feminists and their tech benefactor, Ezra Olubi, co-founder and CTO of Paystack.

Dubbed “EzraGate,” the controversy erupted on November 13, 2025, when Max (@maximillienne_), Olubi’s bisexual ex-girlfriend (also known online as Maki or @makispoke), leaked private DMs and archived tweets revealing a pattern of abuse, grooming, and financial control within Lagos’ elite feminist circles.

What began as a cryptic tweet about betrayal and control has spiraled into a full-blown scandal engulfing Nigeria’s online feminist circles, tech elite, and social media influencers.

At the center is Ezra Olubi, the 39-year-old co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Paystack – Africa’s leading fintech unicorn acquired by Stripe in 2020 – whose deactivated X account has become the epicenter of resurfaced dark tweets, allegations of sexual misconduct, and explosive leaked DMs.

As the drama unfolded over the past week, prominent feminists have been dragged into the fray, with several deactivating their accounts amid accusations of complicity, hypocrisy, and financial impropriety tied to past movements like #EndSARS.

The saga erupted on November 11 when US-based entrepreneur and former partner Max Obae (@makispoke), known online as Maki, posted a series of accusations without naming names – but the clues were unmistakable.

In a thread that has garnered over 2 million views, Maki described a “toxic polycule” (a non-traditional polyamorous relationship structure) involving Olubi, herself, and her female partner.

She alleged Olubi “pretended to be gay to lure feminists into his circle,” then subjected them to “depressing humiliation rituals,” treated them as “sex objects,” and maintained control through financial leverage. The breakup, she claimed, was formalized via an email titled “Severance,” evoking a cold corporate dismissal rather than a personal split.

Maki‘s posts quickly connected Olubi to Nigeria’s feminist Twitter (now X) scene, where he had long positioned himself as an ally. Known for his androgynous style, advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, and support for women’s causes – including donations to feminist initiatives – Olubi‘s public persona clashed violently with what netizens unearthed next: archived tweets from his old handle @0x, dating back to 2009-2017.

Screenshots flooded timelines, revealing explicit “jokes” about pedophilia (“encouraging child rape“), bestiality (claims of “sleeping with his cat“), knowingly transmitting HIV and Hepatitis B, and sexualizing female colleagues and minors. One particularly viral post showed him boasting about recording friends in his bathroom.

Ezra Olubi (@ezraolubi) is accused of rape, pedophilia, bestiality, and hosting secretive “pyjama parties” and “Sunday brunches” where young women—some as young as 19—were allegedly coerced into signing NDAs to silence them.

Leaked messages show Olubi discussing explicit acts and using his wealth to maintain influence. Critics claim he groomed and trafficked young feminists to his inner circle while publicly posing as a queer ally.

By November 13, Olubi had deactivated his account, issuing a terse statement via a burner profile: “My deactivation comes with no apology.” The fallout was swift.

Paystack announced his suspension that evening, stating: “As of Thursday evening, November 13, 2025, Ezra has been suspended from all duties and responsibilities pending a formal investigation.”

The company pledged an independent third-party probe into “alleged sexual misconduct involving a subordinate,” first raised in an X Space by an anonymous accuser named Obae (potentially linked to Maki).

Calls for police involvement mounted, with human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju petitioning the Nigeria Police Force to investigate Olubi‘s “self-confessed atrocities.” A separate petition targets the revocation of his 2022 Order of the Niger (OON) national honor.

The scandal’s tentacles reached deep into feminist networks, exposing alleged enablers and sparking a blame game. Maki accused “powerful feminists” of ignoring red flags for access to Olubi‘s wealth and influence, claiming some signed NDAs to visit his home and even “supplied young feminists” to him.

Leaked DMs, posted by Maki on November 14, implicated high-profile figures. Ozzy Etomi (@ozzyetomi), a vocal feminist and co-founder of the now-defunct Feminist Coalition (FEMCO), was outed in chats from 2020 to 2022.

The messages showed Etomi calling media personality Toke Makinwa a “runs girl” (slang for transactional sex worker) – a direct contradiction to her anti-slut-shaming stance – and admitting to marrying her ex-husband for “stability” while planning an early divorce and cheating with a woman.

Etomi, who had publicly denied ties to Maki, deactivated her account hours after the leaks, citing harassment. Old posts resurfaced showing her mocking #EndSARS protesters as “poor” and unaccounted-for FEMCO funds (allegedly over ₦1 billion, including 9 BTC worth ₦157 million) were weaponized against her, with users labeling the group a “coven of witches” that “embezzled donations.”

Uloma (@ulomaa_) issued a lengthy defensive thread but avoided addressing the core allegations; she remains active but silent on specifics.

Toke Makinwa (@tokstarr), described as Olubi’s “pained ex,” locked her account after being implicated in knowing about his behavior while allegedly benefiting financially. Nkiru “Kiki” Mordi (@kirimordi), an investigative journalist and feminist icon known for her BBC Africa exposés on underage trafficking, faced similar scrutiny.

Maki claimed Mordi was recommended for a Yale fellowship by a mutual contact and had been fed “lies” about her to sabotage her career.

Mordi, who once praised Olubi as a “feminist ally,” went silent before locking her profile on November 15, amid screenshots of her allegedly distancing herself from the scandal. Dami Onisoroaye (@dami_onosowobo) deactivated after her husband Seyi’s old tweet threatening rape resurfaced; he locked his account shortly after.

Uju Anya (@UjuAnya), a US-based linguistics professor and outspoken feminist, waded in with scathing posts amplifying Maki‘s claims, tweeting: “If you insist Maki is an unreliable witness, then allow the man she accuses… to speak for himself.”

But even Anya drew fire for past associations with Olubi‘s circle. Other deactivations followed: An anonymous “Obae” (possibly a pseudonym for another ex) vanished after alleging workplace assault at Paystack; a Lagos-based feminist handle @feministcovenNG (a satirical nod turned real) shut down amid claims of NDA-bound silence; and lesser-known users like @AyeeshaLiq and @BookgirlieAsh13 cited “doxxing” and “racist/homophobic post exposures” as reasons for logging off.

Broader accusations tied the mess to FEMCO‘s 2020 #EndSARS role, with claims that Olubi funneled funds through the group, only for it to dissolve amid embezzlement probes. The Feminist Coalition is accused of embezzling nearly ₦1 billion in EndSARS donations, including over 9 BTC (worth ~₦157 million at the time).

Multiple sources claim Olubi was a primary funder and that FEMCO leaders protected him in exchange for financial support, calling him their “god” behind closed doors. Posts allege “Lagos feminists” systematically supplied young women to Olubi’s circle under NDAs, with some victims as young as 19.

As backlash intensified, a wave of account deactivations and lockdowns swept through the implicated circle: Ezra Olubi, Ozzy Etomi, Dami Onisoroaye, Toke Makinwa, Kiki Mordi, and Seyi all went private or offline.

Users branded them “criminal hypocrites,” pointing to their past condemnations of silence in abuse cases while now fleeing accountability. Public reaction has been a mix of outrage, schadenfreude, and soul-searching.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie clips resurfaced, warning young feminists against using the movement to “justify wickedness.” Tech Twitter decried the irony of a “tech god” built on inclusion crumbling under predation, while anti-feminist voices crowed about the “end of Nigerian feminism.” As of November 16, Stripe has not commented, but Paystack’s shares dipped 5% in after-hours trading.

Some defend the broader feminist movement, arguing Olubi’s exposure purges fake allies and strengthens the cause. Others demand full investigations into both the sexual allegations and FEMCO’s finances.

Was Ezra an infiltrator, or were allies willfully blind? As one X user quipped, “He single-handedly ended the movement by befriending them – now he’s dragged them down.”

With investigations underway and more leaks rumored, EzraGate shows no signs of abating, leaving a trail of deactivated accounts and shattered alliances in its wake.