In 2023 Lagos, Adebayo Ogunwumi, a 32yearold
tech startup founder, inherits his late father’s
office after a sudden death. The building,
located in Ikoyi, is known for its haunted
reputation—locals whisper of spirits that haunt
the third floor. His stepmother, Esther, insists
he move in, citing “family duty,” but her
presence is as cold as the air in the old
building.
The company, TechNova, is struggling. Investors
are pulling out, and Adebayo’s team accuses him
of favoring Esther’s nephew, who was hired
without proper credentials. Rumours swirl: he’s
sleeping with the boss, stealing ideas, even
invoking juju to sabotage rivals. Adebayo
dismisses them, but when a junior developer
collapses during a meeting, muttering about “the
spirit of the office,” he begins to doubt.
Esther reveals a box of letters from her late
husband, Adebayo’s biological father. They
detail a pact made with a village elder to
protect the family from a curse tied to their
ancestors’ betrayal of a sacred grove. The price?
Every generation must sacrifice a child to the
earth. Adebayo’s father broke the pact, hiding
the truth. Now, the curse has returned, and
Esther believes Adebayo is the next offering.
At work, the harassment intensifies. Colleagues
avoid him; clients cancel deals. He finds a vial
of blood under his desk, and a note: “You owe
the land.” That night, he dreams of his father’s
face, twisted in pain, warning him to leave the
office.
He confronts Esther, who admits she knew all
along. She had tried to protect him, but the
curse demands a choice: surrender to the ritual
or face ruin. Adebayo refuses. He burns the
letters, scatters the ashes in the lagoon, and
walks out.
The next morning, TechNova crashes. Investors
flee. Esther disappears. But Adebayo, now free,
starts a new venture: a spiritual wellness app
targeting Lagos’s youth, blending Pentecostal
faith with modern mental health tools. The
office remains empty, but the curse, it seems,
has moved on.
