Conflict in northern Nigeria has flared up periodically over the last three decades. These conflicts were mainly in the form of urban riots, clashes between Muslim and Christian groups, as well as confrontations between different Islamic sects. The trends of violence associated with these conflicts are reflection of high level of misunderstanding among the religious ethnic group or sects in the northern region. However, these kinds of conflict seem to have been generated by the politicization of religious identities known as ‘Group Membership’ in contemporary Northern Nigeria. It is therefore against this background that this paper intends to examine conflict in perspective. The conceptual issue and perspective of inter and intra-religious conflict with a distinction within the religion is also examined. The paper also argue on a group membership with distinction in social identity between ‘Us’ versus‘Them’ as an element of factionalism in intra and inter religious conflict in contemporary Northern Nigeria. Finally it concludes with way a suggestion on the forward for achieving greater unity.