If you’re looking for a series that throws crime, action, and the supernatural into a gritty Nigerian blender and hits full speed, The Covenant is your next binge. Directed by the late Dimeji Ajibola and produced by Vincent Okonkwo, this Netflix mini-series dropped its first season on December 12 and immediately set the tone for a dark, thrilling ride through betrayal, bloodlines, secret brotherhoods, and powers not of this world.
From gun-blazing militants in the Niger Delta to mysterious women in red haunting dreams, from jungle warlords to power-hungry cult leaders, The Covenant doesn’t just flirt with chaos; it embraces it. And with two brothers at the heart of this tangled story, Dagogo and Celestina, the show wastes no time pulling us deep into a world where survival depends on more than bullets and blood; it requires sacrifice, secrets, and a whole lot of spiritual warfare.
Plot
The Covenant opens with Dagogo, one of the two central brothers, locked in a vivid dream. This isn’t your average nightmare; it’s more like a premonition. In this recurring vision, a mysterious woman dressed in red keeps appearing, seemingly warning him of incoming danger. The dream quickly morphs into reality: Dagogo, a militant soldier, wakes up just in time to realise they’re being ambushed. Gunfire erupts, chaos unfolds, and in the midst of it all, his brother Celestina is abducted.
Fast forward two years. Dagogo, now living with the emotional scars of war and loss, receives a phone call from a reverend father in the Niger Delta town. The impossible has happened: Celestina, who was presumed killed in action, has been sighted. Despite warnings from the local police that the jungle is a place of no return, Dagogo is determined to find his brother.
This mission takes him back to a place he never wanted to revisit, his childhood home and his estranged, ailing mother. The tension is thick. Dagogo harbours deep resentment toward her for abandoning them as kids. While Celestina had been quietly taking care of her all these years, Dagogo had cut ties completely. Now, under the same roof again, emotions resurface, and old wounds throb.
Meanwhile, in the shadowy corners of the jungle, we’re introduced to Scourge, who is the self-proclaimed king of the jungle. He’s the ruthless leader of a militant crew that includes Blaze, his fierce fire-loving right hand. True to her name, Blaze leaves destruction in her wake, always armed, always dangerous.
Scourge has a business arrangement with Naomi, a slick bar owner who doubles as a criminal mastermind. On the surface, Naomi is all charm and community vibes, but behind the curtain, she runs illicit deals. Together, they operate a brutal kidnap-for-ransom enterprise deep in the jungle, though both are clearly power-hungry and mistrustful of each other.
As Dagogo starts digging into the jungle’s secrets, he hears whispers of a certain Havoc, a key figure in the Scourge network. And through Havoc, we finally catch up with Celestina, alive, hardened, and living a double life. He’s now working under Scourge’s umbrella, helping abduct targets for ransom to fund their mother’s surgery. His justification? As long as no one dies, he’s just doing what he must to survive.
But then the game changes.
Naomi’s father, a high-ranking member of an ancient brotherhood sworn to protect a mystical spear, warns her of a looming threat: someone powerful is coming to town. That someone is Belema, a mysterious woman whose presence sets off alarms.
Belema arrives at Naomi’s bar accompanied by a small, calculated crew. She demands access to the jungle, specifically Scourge’s network. The request is granted, but her motives are far from casual. It’s soon revealed that Belema is after the legendary spear, an artefact said to grant unimaginable powers, including immortality.
As preparations unfold, Commander Stealth is sent out to kidnap a group of young girls, part of a ritual sacrifice tied to the spear. During this time, Celestina reconnects with an old friend from the militant world. It’s this friend who warns him of a “witch” in the forest that grants powers in exchange for innocent blood. Realising what Belema truly wants, Celestina makes a bold move to sabotage the entire operation.
Though Belema has already taken lives, Celestina manages to rescue one girl and engage Havoc in a brutal fight. He narrowly survives and escapes. Meanwhile, Scourge decides to betray Belema, capturing her as directed by Naomi. Naomi, driven by her own quest for the spear, gives the chilling order to kill all of Belema’s crew. However, Scourge defies her and keeps Belema alive, locked up but breathing.
Back in town, Dagogo’s search finally leads him into the jungle. There, he finds Belema imprisoned. When she insists she knows Celestina’s whereabouts, Dagogo helps her escape. During the chaotic breakout, Belema is shot, forcing Dagogo to rush her to the church for emergency care.
And just when you think you’ve seen it all, plot twist: the reverend father discovers that Belema is actually his niece. After the reverend father discovers that Belema is, in fact, his long-lost niece, the story pulls us into a haunting flashback. We meet Belema’s mother, gravely ill and deteriorating fast. Her husband, Peter (Belema’s father), is desperate to save her. Being a member of a secret brotherhood, Peter turns to the cult for help and begs them to grant him the power of the Spear to heal his wife. But the brotherhood refuses to wield the power; a sacrifice is needed: the life of an innocent soul. Peter, willing to pay that price, is still turned down. Enraged and rejected, he lashes out.
Within that same brotherhood is Stella, Dagogo and Celestina’s mother. Stella, in her own desperation, had struck a bargain with the mysterious woman to protect her sons. In return, she was required to kill an innocent person. When Peter threatened the brotherhood’s secrecy and balance, Stella saw him as the price she had to pay. Disguised and masked, she went to Peter’s home, attacked and stabbed him repeatedly, unaware that young Belema was silently watching from the shadows. Though she couldn’t see the killer’s face, that trauma became Belema’s life mission: to find whoever killed her father and avenge him.
Celestina, after surviving a gunshot, is saved by the mysterious woman and found unconscious by his friend, Commander Stealth. When Belema orders Stealth to kill him, Celestina escapes just in time.
Meanwhile, Dagogo seeks help from a trusted police officer to confront Belema, unaware the officer is part of her and the reverend father’s plan. He’s ambushed and captured during the confrontation. Around the same time, Celestina secretly warns Dagogo that Belema plans to kill their mother, but by the time Dagogo returns home, he’s already been taken prisoner.
Now in the present, Belema doesn’t yet know Stella was the one behind her father’s murder, but she believes the power of the Spear will lead her to the truth. She starts secretly working with the reverend father to take down the entire network, including Stella. Dagogo remains unaware of this betrayal.
Back in the shadows of the criminal underworld, Scourge begins to unravel. Furious at Naomi’s delay in delivering Belema, he goes full rogue, storming her bar, ambushing her at home, and wiping out a chunk of her crew. In the thick of the madness, a game-changing secret drops: Scourge has been loyal to the reverend father all along.
Fueled by vengeance, Belema storms Stella’s house. But Stella’s ready. What follows is a charged showdown. Belema demands to know why her father had to die. Stella, cold and unapologetic, calls Peter worthless. That’s the last straw; Belema shoots her in rage. Now, all eyes are on the spear; the powerful artefact everyone’s dying to control. Meanwhile, Naomi’s father, deeply linked to the brotherhood’s secrets, is captured too. Belema, Scourge, and the remaining crew make their way to the forest for the final ritual. The setup is intense, the energy high. But despite the chants and the sacred stones, the ritual flops. In a spiral of desperation, they decide that Dagogo has to die.
Meanwhile, Celestina returns home to find Stella presumed dead, but during her transport, her spirit connects with the mysterious woman, who reminds her of her sacred duty. She miraculously revives, and together, she and Celestina storm the ritual site just in time. Chaos erupts, gunfire, betrayals, bodies dropping. Belema, Scourge, and Blaze escape in the mayhem.
The reverend father, now desperate, discovers the Spear isn’t in the forest but hidden in Stella’s house. He digs it up with his men. Naomi helps rescue Dagogo, while Belema tries to flee. Stella stops anyone from killing her, cryptically saying, “It’s not her time.”
With the Spear in hand, the reverend father forces Naomi’s father to activate it. But plot twist: the Spear chooses him instead. He kills the reverend father and reveals he’s been the mastermind all along.
In the final gut punch, Dagogo and Celestina walk in, just in time to watch him murder Celestina.
Cast
Dagogo, played by Gideon Okeke, was a solid fit. Gideon is known for his gritty, intense performances, and once again, he delivered. His energy matched the role, especially in scenes with his on-screen mother; those were raw and very relatable. Okay, maybe he overdid it a bit with the squinting and the whole slow-mo, “hard guy” aesthetic, but overall, he carried the role well.
Celestina (Sting), played by Zubby Michael, also gave what it was meant to give. Zubby thrives in streetwise, rugged roles, and this was no exception. Although whenever he switched to English, the pacing felt a bit off, it reminded you he was acting. But once he returned to pidgin, it was smooth sailing.
Stella, of course, was played by the queen herself, Sola Sobowale. As expected, she understood the assignment and delivered without missing a beat. Naomi, played by Ivie Okujaye, was a perfect match. She’s no stranger to intense roles (Enakhe), and this wasn’t her first time bringing that kind of emotional depth to sthe creen. She delivered.
Tope Olowoniyan, Segun Arinze, Bimbo Manuel, Uzee Usman and the supporting characters also held their ground well. Overall, The Covenant‘s casting gets a big thumbs up. This wasn’t one of those movies where they cast just big names for clout; these were the right faces for the story.
Language
The use of language in this movie was on point. Pidgin was the major driver, and it worked; authentic, raw, and very appropriate for the setting. English was used sparingly and only when it made sense, and we also got blends of Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa, which gave the film a well-rounded, relatable Nigerian flavour. It felt real.
Final take
The Covenant was a very solid watch.
Location was one of the biggest wins; it felt real and was captured beautifully. From the jungle scenes to river shots, nothing felt fake or forced. They could’ve gone the CGI route, but instead, they took the hard road and shot it right. Respect.
CGI effects? Mad. From the flames to the grenade scenes and gunfights, you could tell effort and maturity went into it. Nothing was cheaply done. Picture quality was top-tier. The colour grading gave that raw, street-life feel which matched the story’s tone perfectly.
Now, for the plot, very well done. Pacing was smooth, and the plot twists? Wild. You’re not just watching; you’re thinking, questioning, anticipating. My only tiny gripe is that they packed a lot of resolution into the end of the season, but it makes sense since they’re clearly setting up for Season 2.
And best believe, Season 2 has serious promise. There are so many threads still hanging: Will Naomi discover her father was the traitor? Is Celestina really gone? How will Dagogo react to finding out who actually betrayed them? What is Naomi’s father’s next move?
They’ve given us plenty to chew on and even more to look forward to.
In all, The Covenant was a mature, well-rounded production that blends great acting, a solid plot, impressive visuals, and authentic language. Definitely a must-watch.
