Dimeji Ajibola’s “The Covenant” Is Ambitious But Convoluted

Within the first few minutes of a film, you can often tell whether it holds promise and is worth your time. Certain cues reveal its potential early on, and The Covenant is one such Nollywood production. It follows Dagogo (Gideon Okeke) an ex-soldier that embarks on a mission to find his brother Celestine (Zubby Michael), also called Sting, among militants in the Niger Delta region two years after he is thought to have been killed in action. The five-episode Netflix crime thriller series, created and produced by Vincent Okonkwo and directed by the late Dimeji Ajibola (who is also director of crime thriller series, Shanty Town), explores crime and survival amidst the clash between physical and metaphysical forces. With Gideon Okeke and Zubby Michael leading the cast as siblings and ex-servicemen, the film also stars Sola Sobowale, Bimbo Manuel, Segun Arinze, Uzee Usman, Ejiro Onijaife, Ivie Okujaye and Tope Olowoniyan, among others.

Similar to the opening of Shanty Town, The Covenant begins with chaos: a crossfire between soldiers and militants. After the encounter, the film moves forward by two years when we are informed that Dagogo has left the force and Celestine has recently been spotted somewhere close to home in the Niger Delta. We also learn quickly about the strained relationship between the young men and their mother Stella (Sola Sobowale) who is said to have abandoned them in childhood. Her health is fast deteriorating and she longs to be on good terms with her children. The rest of the story shows many confrontations and conflicts over gritty action-packed scenes involving other particularly belligerent characters, as Dagogo seeks to reconcile with his brother.

This series shows ambition by avoiding the single-minded plot that is common to many Nollywood productions. While the contemporary action thriller genre often involves a lot of physicality, stunts and gun fights, it is framed here within the context of magic and African spirituality. The Covenant engages the supernatural in similar ways like Shona Ferguson’s Kings of Jo’burg and Dimeji Ajibola’s Shanty Town, showing its significance to power, authority and the criminal underworld. This is established early from the very first episode when a mystery woman shows up on the battlefield. This supernatural figure, which Stella later admits to invoking for the security of her children, often appears in Dagogo’s dreams and continually offers protection to Celestine, functioning as a guardian angel and keeping him alive throughout his ordeals.

Although Dagogo’s quest takes the centre stage in the series, there are side quests. There are reflections on a Brotherhood cult which Stella has a history with, which the likes of the militant Naomi (Ivie Okujaye) and her father and Priest Chief Kalu (Segun Arinze) belong to. Another significant aspect of the storyline involves Reverend Tonye (Bimbo Manuel), who for much of the series appears as an ally of Dagogo, committed to the search for Celestine, only to be revealed as a secret enemy, conspiring with the deadly militant leader Scourge (Uzee Usman) and Dagogo’s friend, Officer Patrick (Stanley Igboanugo), driven by inordinate ambition. The Reverend’s ultimate goal is to possess for himself a certain magical spear in the custody of Stella and under the authority of the Brotherhood with which he can become powerful. The series presents an unexpected twist when the Reverend and Officer Patrick are revealed to be working together against the interest of Dagogo but does not provide sufficient justification for their partnership. What does Officer Patrick, for instance, particularly stand to gain from helping the Reverend? What is Scourge’s motivation for the partnership as well? We do not know these—or the series does not approach them with clarity.

Gideon Okeke’s acting in The Covenant is particularly powerful, as the actor renders his character with commendable intensity. Most times, when he speaks, his tone is harsh, defiant and combatant, genuinely indicative of someone with military experience. But his silence, physique and body language are even more detailed, with his overall performance here reminiscent of the titular character he played in Tokunbo, a 2024 crime thriller directed by Ramsey Nouah. Another standout performance is that of Sola Sobowale as Stella. Contrary to the typical loud, aggressive and untamable personality she is known for embodying in Nollywood productions, for instance in the King of Boys series, Sobowale approaches Stella with the mostly remorseful and subdued reactions expected of a woman desperate to right her wrongs and regain the confidence of her children.

If one looks further from these two acts, there seems to be little to nothing more close to excellence, with the rest of the actors and their characters coming off as mostly bland and forgettable. Zubby Michael’s acting, for instance, is reproachable, leaving nothing to be desired about the character he portrays. Havoc (Ejiro Onijaife) is supposed to be one of the feared militants in the series, but the character does not inspire any such dread.

For all its beautiful premise, The Covenant stumbles in character development and lacks sufficient backstory to explain the history of the Brotherhood cult. The criminal underworld is presented as an intricately woven space where interests and allegiances are fickle and often shift—with gang leaders surfacing and transacting. But each of these characters, from Scourge to Naomi, Commander Stealth and Havoc, are hardly detailed enough for the audience to know exactly what they stand for and the motivations behind their actions. Ultimately, the series comes off as a mixed bag of half-baked performances and unmet narrative expectations.