More than 50 Muslim and Christian leaders have signed a landmark interfaith peace accord in Nigeria’s capital, establishing a new coordinating body to promote religious harmony, curb hate speech, and reduce sectarian tensions across the country.

The agreement, reached at the end of a two-day International Conference on Diversity and Social Peace organized with support from the Saudi-based Muslim World League, calls for cooperation between the two major faith communities while rejecting divisive rhetoric. Christian and Muslim leaders described the pact as a turning point.

John Praise Daniel, chairman of the Northern Christian Religious Leaders’ Assembly, said the accord aims to end inflammatory language, insisting there be no hate speech and no disrespect for other religious groups, and no branding of others as infidels. Khalid Abubakar, secretary-general of Jama’atu Nasri Islam, stressed that the initiative is about working together in harmony without requiring anyone to abandon their faith.

“No hate speech, and no disrespect for other religious groups, no calling of people as infidels.” John Praise Daniel · Northern Christian Religious Leaders’ Assembly

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, representing President Bola Tinubu, attended the ceremony along with three northern state governors. He affirmed the government’s determination to keep Nigeria united despite the nation’s religious and regional differences.

Nigeria’s roughly 200 million people are divided nearly evenly between a predominantly Muslim north and a largely Christian south. Years of attacks by groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have claimed thousands of lives from both faiths, though the Trump administration has specifically highlighted the targeting of Christians as an existential threat requiring urgent attention.

The new accord, coming ahead of the January 2027 elections when religion is expected to play a significant political role, seeks to strengthen dialogue, promote responsible media practices, empower youth, and foster joint government–faith–civil society initiatives to preserve social stability.

Faith leaders on both sides presented the agreement as a practical step toward reducing extremism and building lasting cooperation, following heightened global scrutiny driven by American leadership on religious freedom.