The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (retd.), has urged Muslims to prioritise national security and unity in their prayers during the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The Defence Minister also said there was need for selfless sacrifice to end insecurity in parts of the country, adding that security was the responsibility of all Nigerians.
These were contained in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mohammad Abdulkadri, on Friday.
The statement partly read, “While thanking Almighty Allah for sparing the lives of the Muslins to witness the festival, he called for total restraints from any act capable of undermining peace, progress, and prosperity of the nation during and after the festivities.
“He prayed God to reward the symbolic slaughtering of rams as an act of expression of individual piety and conformity with the Almighty Allah’s injunction as contained in the Holy Quran and the hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
The Defence Minister, however, underscored the need for selfless sacrifice to end insecurity in parts of the country pointing out that national security was the responsibility of all Nigerians.
The Defence Minister, therefore, appealed to Muslims to intensify prayer for peace to reign in the country.”
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