Ogaga Ifowodo: The Poet Who Asked Why God Needs A Gun — And Won $100,000

By Adejoke Alabi-Henry
There is something unsettling about the question Ogaga Ifowodo chose for the title of his sixth poetry collection: Why Does God Need a Gun?
It sounds simple. Almost like the innocent question of a child. But behind it are some of Nigeria’s most painful stories — terrorism, religious extremism, murdered citizens, abducted schoolgirls and a country that has sometimes appeared to move on before properly mourning its dead.
Now, that question has earned Ifowodo one of Africa’s biggest literary honours.
The poet, lawyer and human rights activist was announced winner of the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature at the Nigeria LNG Limited Grand Award Night in Lagos o...