Muslim and Christian leaders in Borno State have renewed calls for religious harmony and peaceful coexistence, saying unity between the two faiths is crucial to the state’s recovery from years of insurgency.
The call was made at an interfaith gathering in Maiduguri organised by the Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Borno State chapter, Special Apostle Joshua Michael Akeredolu, as part of activities marking his Episcopal Consecration as the sixth leader of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church in Maiduguri.
Akeredolu said the meeting was designed to create a platform where Christians and Muslims could discuss peace, mutual respect and the need to reject religious intolerance.
“The essence of today’s meeting is to bring both faiths, Christians and Muslims together to talk on peace, most especially peaceful co-existence within the state,” he said.
He said his approach to interfaith relations was rooted in the belief that people should first recognise one another as human beings and creations of God before allowing religious differences to define their relationships.
Akeredolu said similar engagements had taken place quietly in Borno for two or three years, but described the latest gathering as significant because it brought together representatives of different Muslim and Christian denominations.
He said the central message from the scholars who addressed participants was that development could not be sustained without peace.
“Generally, we pushed for a lasting peace in the state. This is essential because what we want now is peace in this state and the country at large irrespective of your religion,” he said.
The emphasis on interfaith cooperation comes against the backdrop of Borno’s long-running security crisis.
The state has remained at the centre of the Boko Haram insurgency for more than 15 years, with communities affected by killings, abductions, displacement and the destruction of social and economic infrastructure.
Speaking at the gathering, the Jumaat Imam of the Federal Government College Maiduguri Central Mosque, Ali Isah, said Borno’s experience had demonstrated the need for clerics to work together in educating their followers about peace.
“Clerics from both religions have made followers know the importance of peace, especially here in Borno because of what we have experienced in this issue of terrorism, extremism and others,” Isah said.
He added that neither Christianity nor Islam sanctioned violence or extremism.
“No religion ordered anybody to go and kill or engage in extremism or fanaticism. All these habits were condemned by both religions,” he said.
The initiative comes amid broader efforts to deepen interfaith cooperation in Borno and across Nigeria.
In December 2025, Governor Babagana Zulum met with leaders of Jama’atu Nasril Islam and CAN in Maiduguri and urged religious leaders to reject attempts to portray the insurgency as a religious conflict.
Zulum has repeatedly stressed that Muslims and Christians have both suffered from the violence, while his administration has pursued rehabilitation, reintegration and other non-kinetic measures as part of the state’s recovery strategy.
In June 2026, Borno announced the reintegration of 720 former insurgents, together with 992 spouses and 2,050 children, after rehabilitation and skills-acquisition programmes.
At the national level, more than 50 Muslim and Christian leaders recently signed an interfaith peace accord in Abuja at a conference organised by the Muslim World League.
The agreement seeks to strengthen dialogue and address hate speech, religious intolerance and extremist rhetoric.
For Borno, the importance of such initiatives is heightened by the scale of the conflict the state has endured.
Beyond military operations, sustainable recovery requires communities to rebuild trust, strengthen social ties and prevent religious differences from becoming a source of fresh conflict.
The Maiduguri gathering reinforced that message, with Muslim and Christian leaders urging their followers to reject hatred and extremism and work together for peace and development.
