5 Shocking Truths Kemi Adetiba’s To Kill a Monkey Reveals About Nigeria

Some stories sparkle while others sting. To Kill a Monkey, Kemi Adetiba‘s bold new vision, does not whisper but wounds. It is a tale of betrayal and broken bonds, of power and poverty, of crimes committed in the cracks of a corrupt country. Adetiba paints with shadows instead of light, shaping a society where survival suffocates sympathy and silence shelters sin. If cinema holds a mirror to life, what happens when the reflection is too raw to ignore?

Poverty as a Predator

Poverty in To Kill a Monkey is not an absence but an assault, gnawing at Efemini the lead cast originally known as William Benson until his very sense of manhood unravels. Though his wife, Nosa as portrayed by Stella Damasus delivers triplets in a high-end hospital, the sterile walls only sharpen his helplessness; he cannot pay the bills, just as he could not raise money to bury his mother with dignity. At home, comfort is a stranger, the cramped rooms echoing with unpaid rent and quiet resentment. His first-class degree is a mocking relic in a country where talent gathers dust while connections open doors.

Poverty also stalks his twenty-one-year-old daughter, Ivie, played by Teniola Aladese forced to live with relatives where survival comes at the cost of safety, her body constantly under threat of assault. When she strays into an affair with his friend Oboz, the major antagonist played by Bucci Franklin it bruises him deeper than debt ever could, stripping away the respect a father clings to. Even his surrender to Madam Adunni’s acted by madam Constance Owoyemi predatory advances is less about desire than desperation. Poverty here is a predator, feeding on pride, devouring dignity, and breaking bonds that love alone cannot mend. If a man cannot provide for those he loves, what power remains in the name of fatherhood?

Betrayal at Every Door

Betrayal does not just brush against Efe, it devours him. It starts at home, where trust should be unshakable. Ivie, his daughter, chooses Oboz, the man he once called brother, and carries his child. Nosa, his wife, slips into Dr Ifenayi’s acted by Daniel Etim Effiong arms and later files for divorce, leaving Efe to rot alone in prison. The walls of his house no longer hold love; they echo with absence.

The moment that scars Efe most is unbearable. Oboz, once his brother in loyalty, swore, “Bro, stay my back, e no go touch you. If danger come, e fit touch me first before e touch you.” Words meant as armour became the sharpest blade—the one who promised to protect him pulled the trigger.

Crushed and enraged, Efe crosses the line, conspiring with Teacher Chidi in Shanty Town. Betrayal becomes both wound and weapon. Inspector Mo falls to Inspector Onome, and Sparkle testifies against him in court. Everywhere he looks, loyalty is fleeting, trust is currency, and betrayal is the only language.

Kemi Adetiba shows betrayal is the spine of Nigerian storytelling. It is not just personal; it is the nation’s pulse. A country that hails first-class graduates yet leaves them unemployed betrays its future. A system that praises fairness but feeds corruption writes betrayal into law. Homes whisper it, streets trade it, boardrooms cash it in. And Efe, broken and hollow, is left to ask: if poverty can buy even family, if hunger can twist brotherhood into treachery, who can truly be trusted?

Crime and Corruption

Crime in To Kill a Monkey is not hidden in shadows but sprawled across everyday life, staining both the powerful and the powerless. Efe, once a first class graduate with dreams of a corporate career, is robbed of opportunity when his laptop is stolen during an interview pitch, a theft that robs him of more than a machine but of dignity and direction. His friend Oboz acted  by Bucci Frankilin, seduced by the false glamour of internet fraud, turns crime into a profession, tricking strangers online while convincing himself it is survival, not sin. When Efe’s hunger deepens, even he bends, using his intelligence to join Oboz in the digital con, showing how desperation can turn brilliance into bait.

Crime is also personal: Madam Adunni, the boss who exploits Efe sexually, withholds his salary, then sends thugs to reclaim the little he has left. The opening scene sets the tone with young boys being inducted into a cult, showing how early corruption seeps into the veins of the next generation. Even the teacher, meant to guide, becomes a participant in the rot. According to the EFCC, seven out of ten Nigerian students are now involved in cybercrime (Guardian Nigeria). Crime here is not an exception but an inheritance, a system passed from one hand to another until even the innocent learn its rules. When corruption feeds at every level, from classroom to corporate office, is there any place left for the law to stand unbroken?

Power, Gender, and Sexual Harassment

Power in To Kill a Monkey is both weapon and cage, deciding who survives and who falls. Madam Adunni exploits her authority over Efe sexually, leaving him no choice without risking his career, showing how power can corrode integrity. Oboz, once Efe’s student and now a business owner, bends ambition to his desires, luring others into schemes and hoarding rewards.

Dr Ifenayi wields his medical position to manipulate Nosa, bending social and professional norms. Teachers and social elites similarly exploit authority, trapping Efe in moral compromises. Clubs and workplaces become arenas where power and gender intersect, amplifying injustice. The film reveals a society where influence oppresses rather than protects, sexual harassment is a tool, and gendered expectations heighten vulnerability. When power silences and coerces, who dares challenge the system?

Kemi Adetiba’s To Kill a Monkey reflects a nation where ambition is tested, loyalty is bought, and morality bends under pressure. It asks: who in our society could remain unbroken? In a world where shadows eclipse virtue, how do we act, and whom do we trust?

Kemi Adetiba’s To Kill a Monkey is more than cinema , it is a mirror held up to a nation where ambition is tested, loyalty is bought, and morality bends under pressure. For readers of Top Society Magazine, it asks: in a country where betrayal is currency and corruption is inheritance, who can truly stand unbroken?

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