Nigeria, July 19 -- Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has urged Muslims to exhibit peace, mutual respect and tolerance as they celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir.

Mr Abubakar, who stated this in a statement on Monday, asked them to remember that the season is one to give thanks to the Almighty God "for sparing our lives as individuals and families to celebrate."

According to him, "Eid-el-Kabir teaches and reminds us of the meaning of sacrifice, love, and forbearance with God and in our relationships with one another.

"As Muslims more especially, Eid-el-Kabir and the stories of Prophets Ibrahim and Ishmael (Peace and Blessings of Allah be with them) that accompany it requires that we take the whole of humanity as one nation," he wrote in a...