Two weeks into, Kemi Adetiba’s latest series, To Kill a Monkey has taken over conversations everywhere! If you’re Nigerian and online, you’ve either seen it, heard of it, or gotten into one of the many debates it’s sparked. And honestly? The buzz is well deserved.
A Story That Hits Close to Home
To Kill a Monkey is not your usual Nigerian crime drama. It’s set in Lagos, but the story unfolds everywhere, someone’s trying to hustle their way out of the trenches. We meet Efe, a smart and intelligent programmer but broke, frustrated and yet determined. Like many young Nigerians, he’s stuck between his dreams and a system that keeps him poor.
Then enters Oboz, flashy, powerful, dangerous, but also weirdly charming. He gives Efe a shot, takes him under his wing and opens the door to the wealthy life. But soon enough that door also leads straight into chaos and ultimately his death.
What makes this show different is how real each scene gets. It’s depicts how easy it is to fall, even with the best intentions.
The Cast Who Made It Work
Efe (William Benson): If you’ve ever seen someone finally get a break and ruin it with bad decisions, you’ll easily recognize Efe. He starts off relatable, then slowly turns into someone you want to hate. He forgets where he came from, he burns every bridge that helped him get across, and that’s exactly why people are arguing over his true loyalty.
Oboz (Bucci Franklin): Let’s talk about this guy. He’s intense, unpredictable, and maybe a little broken himself. Some say he genuinely loved Efe like a brother, others think he just wanted loyalty and control. Either way, Bucci Franklin gives a captivating performance, owning every scene he acted.
Teacher (Chidi Mokeme): Mysterious and composed, Teacher is the sort of character who doesn’t need to raise a tone to command a room. He operates in the shadows, showing wisdom and strategy instead of brute force. Teacher is proof that survival in Lagos isn’t always about who has the biggest guns. His presence is a warning to younger guys like Efe: in this world, it’s not always the loudest man that’s in control. You feel like he’s been through 10 Oboz’s already. And that’s what makes him character so fierce.
Amanda (Sunshine Rosman): Amanda plays the role of the sharp, street-smart hustler who knows how to play the system. She’s sharp, calculated, and knows how to navigate spaces dominated by ego and chaos. Amanda walks into the story as Efe’s emotional anchor at the beginning of his rise. But her role quickly becomes more than just “the girlfriend.” She’s the first one to spot the cracks in Efe’s loyalty and behavior. She senses when he starts changing, when the money and power begin to rot his core. Amanda represents love grounded in reality not the ride-or-die fantasy.
Nosa (Stella Damasus): More than just Efe’s wife, Nosa is his moral anchor and emotional shield during his early days. When Efe begins making money, Nosa stands by him with quiet strength, holding their family together as the world around them starts to shift. Nosa sees the signs too, but her approach is different from Amanda’s. She stays longer and hopes harder. And when she finally acts, it’s not out of revenge but survival and the need to reclaim her own dignity. Nosa’s character is a reminder that women often pay the highest emotional price in men’s success stories.
Inspector Ogunlesi (Bimbo Akintola): A grieving mother, a widower, and one of the most powerful characters in To Kill a Monkey. Earlier in her career, she lost her entire family in a ghastly motor accident, and that loss changed her forever. It hardened and drove her into series of hallucinations. But instead of support, her department responded with suspicion. They began treating her like a liability, sidelining and chalking her dedication up to unresolved trauma or even mental instability. Her return in this case isn’t just about justice, but a personal quest. The struggle makes every scene she’s in resonate deeply. She may not speak often about her loss, but it’s always there, simmering just beneath the surface. Ogunlesi is a portrait of what it means to keep showing up, even when the world has written you off. A story of resilence and redemption.
What Fans are Saying
People are picking sides, digging into characters’ choices and analyzing every plot twist. Here’s what some tweeps have said:
Real Themes, Real Life
Power and betrayal: The whole show is a masterclass in how trust can be your biggest weapon or your greatest weakness. Efe forgot who put him on. Oboz trusted someone too soft for the street. And both paid for it.
Ambition vs. loyalty: How far is too far when you’re trying to escape poverty? Efe made choices a lot of people might secretly understand, even if they won’t admit it.
Women holding it down: From Nosa’s patience to Ogunlesi’s determination, the women in this show quietly carry everything. They’re not the loudest, but they’re the backbone.
Survival vs. Morality: When you’re desperate, lines blur. And in Lagos, sometimes survival doesn’t leave room for morality. This show puts that in your face without apology.
Kemi Adetiba Did It Again
Back in 2018, Kemi Adetiba pioneered a new kind of Nigerian cinema. While Nollywood has always been interested in crime as a social phenomenon, with King of Boys, Adetiba injected a level of modern immersion into the subgenre. However To Kill a Monkey is more focused and personal. The tension is consistent and the characters are flawed in their own unique way. What makes her work special is that she understands the Nigerian psychology. She doesn’t polish her stories to look good for global audiences, she gives us raw, emotional, Lagos-in-your-face storytelling. And we love her for it!
How to Kill a Monkey is not just another Nollywood show. It’s a mirror that reflects the Nigerian hustle story. It’s messy. It’s painful but yet brutally honest.