Nigerian-Irish author, Dexter Loko, has won the 2026 Chinua Achebe Prize for Literature for his novel, The Bako of Zereshé.
Gatekeepers News reports that Loko received the award on Saturday, October 31, during the Association of Nigerian Authors’ (ANA) 45th Annual International Convention in Abuja.
The prize was presented by award-winning author and ANA Vice-President, Obari Gomba, and comes with a cash reward of N1 million sponsored by United Nigeria Airlines.
Loko emerged winner ahead of two other shortlisted authors, Henry Akubuiro, whose work is titled No Place Like Home, and Onyedikachi Uzozie Nmezi, author of Chikoba.
Published in July 2026 by Lagos-based GrandTouch Press, The Bako of Zereshé is a 170,000-word fantasy novel combining Nigerian history, culture and mythology with magic, political intrigue and adventure.
The novel follows Jeremy Fletcher, a young British journalist assigned to Nigeria to report on the insurgency in the North-East.
However, an unexpected accident leads him to Zereshé, a fictional secret 37th state of Nigeria where magic is openly practised and forms part of everyday life.
The discovery takes him into an extraordinary adventure involving a struggle between good and evil.
Loko’s latest achievement follows the publication of his debut collection of 15 short stories, The Day the Sun Vanished, which was independently published in November 2023.
Born in Nigeria and based in Ireland, the author has attributed his literary interests to his upbringing, exposure to Nigerian cultural traditions and the extensive home library provided by his parents.
The Chinua Achebe Prize for Literature, established in 2021, recognises outstanding achievement in Nigerian fiction and honours the literary legacy of renowned Nigerian author Chinua Achebe.
Previous winners include Obinna Ndenwe in 2021, Sylva Nze Ifedigbo in 2022, Nike Campbell in 2023, Ifeoma Chinwuba in 2024 and Ndidi Chiazor Enenmor in 2025.
