To Kill a Monkey is a 2025 Nigerian crime thriller series on Netflix. It follows a man facing hard times who is drawn into cybercrime by an old friend, leading him down a dangerous path of moral decline. 

In the shadows of Lagos, beneath the neon lights and the pounding rhythm of ambition, a man named Efe tried to escape his pain and hard times. He was smart and talented, but stuck in poverty and misfortune. His mother died. His job slipped through his fingers. His dignity began to crumble, and like many today, he faced the brutal silence of poverty.

And then came the whisper of a shortcut to wealth and affluence.

Oboz, his university friend turned tech-crime boss, had all the things Efe thought would fix him: wealth, cars, women, power. Efe said yes to a system built on lies.

And with that yes, he began to die.

The Deception of Riches Without God

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? (Mark 8:36).

The world Efe entered; the world of cybercrime, fast cash, and soft lies promised him rest, but delivered restlessness. It gave him an expensive piece of clothing, but not peace of mind. Flashy parties, but not joy. A full bank account, but an empty soul.

He traded his moral compass for luxury and influence. But when the music faded, all he was left with was betrayal, paranoia, and loss.

Efe’s story mirrors a painful truth we see in our world: Success without God is a beautiful prison.

Like Oboz, Teacher, and Sparkles, almost every character in To Kill a Monkey bowed at the altar of money. And it demanded everything: their time, their peace, their families, their sanity, even their souls.

True Riches Are Found in the Kingdom of God

You can have wealth and still be spiritually bankrupt. You can have status and still be miserable.

Efe’s life, both when he was broke and when he was wealthy, was marked by sorrow. His wealth brought even more anxiety, more compromise, and more chaos than the poverty he was running from. Unfortunately, peace doesn’t come from your bank account. It comes from making peace with God and growing in a relationship with Him. It is the true wealth that transcends everything else. 

The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).

That’s what Efe missed.
That’s what Oboz never knew.
That’s what the world can never give you.

A World in Chaos Like Efe’s

Efe thought he was climbing. But he was falling deeper into chaos. The kind that Genesis 1 describes as “formless and void.” That’s what life looks like outside of God’s order. That kind of life always collapses like a pack of cards.

Chaos is not just disorder in the world. It’s a disorder in the soul. It’s what happens when people try to live life on their own terms, apart from God’s wisdom and rule. It’s what you get when you define good and evil for yourself, chasing freedom but ending up enslaved.

Where God’s rest brings peace, order, and purpose, chaos brings confusion, anxiety, and despair. Look around or maybe just look within, and you’ll see it:

• Men drowning in pain even while surrounded by wealth.
• Emptiness behind success.
• Sleepless nights in luxury homes.
• Young people hooked on drugs to silence the ache in their souls.
• Relationships broken. Bodies sick. Regrets piling up.
• Hearts chasing meaning in all the wrong places: money, sex, power, status, and still ending up empty.

This is the world we’ve made when we live outside God’s design. It’s the fruit of rebellion. The cost of self-rule. And it’s a slippery slope. What begins as a small compromise becomes a lifestyle of collapse.

We live in an era where people are choosing shortcuts over hard work, men and women are sacrificing their families for status, and souls are traded for fleeting success.

Money rules too many hearts. It dictates decisions, corrupts relationships, and silences consciences. And yet, the world keeps saying: “If you just had more, you’d be happy.” But look at Efe closely. He had more. And he was empty.

Come Into God’s Rest

If only Efe had turned not to the monkey masks, but to the cross. If only he had walked away from Oboz’s table and sat at Jesus’ feet. He would have found a rest that no amount of money could give.

Jesus says: Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

Efe needed rest, not a vacation. He needed a new way of living under God’s rule. He needed the kingdom of God. The rest that Jesus promised isn’t the absence of problems in this life. It’s the presence of God in the middle of them. It doesn’t mean an easy life. It is a reordered life, where:

• Peace replaces panic
• Joy grows even in sorrow
• Purpose replaces confusion
• Grace heals the places shame used to live

When you come under God’s rule, you enter His rest. Jesus doesn’t just give rest from trouble. He gives rest in the midst of it. You may still face challenges, but you won’t face them alone. Peace is not found in having nothing to fear, but in knowing who walks with you. 

There Is Still Hope: The Kingdom Is Open To All

Jesus did not come to shame people like Efe and Oboz. He came to rescue them.

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32).

You don’t have to keep living under the control of money. You don’t have to pretend everything is fine when your soul is falling apart. You don’t have to chase success that leaves you sleepless. Come into God’s rest.

If your life feels like Efe’s, full of noise, chaos, running, fear, and moral compromise. Stop running. There’s a better life. Give your loyalty to Jesus, not money. He offers you:

• Forgiveness for your past
• Peace in your present
• Hope for your future

Lay down your mask. Lay down your burdens. Come and rest.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33).

Your life can begin again.