Bento, a company embroiled in controversy, has laid off its entire 10-person tech team after they protested the founder’s decision to delay their January salaries. The abrupt move came just a week after the company faced allegations of failing to remit millions of naira in taxes and pensions and forging tax receipts.

The tech team’s protest was sparked when founder Ebun Okubanjo informed them that their salaries would be “strategically delayed” until they processed all pending payroll for customers.

The team, worried about the company’s direction and their own financial stability, collectively agreed to halt operations until they received their pay.

In response, Okubanjo treated the protest as a resignation, deactivating the employees’ work emails without pay. He claimed the employees were trying to force his hand and offered to divide the withheld salaries among any employees willing to stay and process payroll.

The laid-off tech team, consisting mainly of young engineers, had been with the company for just over a year. Their departure has stalled Bento’s operations, particularly with payroll processing for its customers.

Bento has since claimed that it intentionally halted transactions to facilitate a transfer of platform credentials from Okubanjo to an interim overseer. However, the company’s actions have left former employees worried about the impact on their careers.