Imam Dr Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa is a world-renowned Nigerian peacemaker and the co-executive director of the Kaduna-based Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC). Once opposing militia leaders during Nigeria’s violent sectarian conflicts in the 1990s, Imam Ashafa and Christian Pastor James Wuye underwent a profound personal reconciliation after suffering severe personal losses. Turning their pain into purpose, they united to build a 20,000-member grassroots peacebuilding framework that mitigates religious and regional violence across Africa. Their story of forgiveness has achieved global acclaim, notably featured in the inspirational documentary The Imam and the Pastor. After winning first prize in the 2013 World Interfaith Harmony Week, their decades of dedication culminated in March 2025 when they were awarded the inaugural Commonwealth Peace Prize for exceptional leadership in faith-based conflict resolution.