A PDP chieftain, Kawu Baraje, has appealed to people with criminal tendencies to show respect for the holy month of Ramadan and shun all negative tendencies.

Baraje,who is the proprietor of Baraje Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Ilorin Kwara and a former PDP national chairman, made the call in his Ramadan message to Muslim faithful in Ilorin on Saturday.

He appealed to evil doers and criminals to shun killing of innocent souls and other social vices during the holy month of Ramadan by moving closer to God.

He said they should have a complete change of mind even after the Ramadan period because Islam preaches peace and harmony.

The PDP chieftain described the new dimension in crime wave in the country, such as bombing and kidnapping, as alien to Nigeria.

According to him, the actions are not only alien to our culture and tradition but also to both Islam and Christianity.

Baraje called on Muslim faithful and religious leaders to be more sincere and firm in their sermons so that people would change for the better. 

He called on the government and the governed to continue to operate together and trust each other as preached by the Holy Prophet Mohammed  in his time.

Baraje also urged security operatives to be more proactive in their efforts to curb crime, and the citizenry to always provide useful information to security agents about people with questionable characters.

 He appealed to wealthy Muslim faithful to continue to give Zakat to the less privileged and donate generously to the propagation of Islam.