Kano State Sharia police, popularly known as Hisbah, has threatened to recommence their enforcement actions against betting shops following a recent ruling by the Supreme Court regarding gambling.
Naturenex reports that the Nigerian Supreme Court on Friday, November 22, annulled a 2005 statute that created a national lottery commission and permitted sports betting and gambling activities.
The court determined that the regulation of gambling falls under the jurisdiction of state governments.
It is worth noting that Kano State is among 12 predominantly Muslim states in Nigeria where Islamic Sharia law is applied in conjunction with federal legislation.
“We will resume our clampdown on betting shops with renewed determination since betting is illegal under Kano state sharia law,” Abba Sufi, director general of the Kano Hisbah, told AFP.
The Hisbah is a governmental body responsible for enforcing Sharia law in Kano, the largest city in northern Nigeria.
Recently, Hisbah officials conducted operations that resulted in the closure of numerous football betting establishments throughout the city, citing that these venues were facilitating gambling, an activity that is forbidden by Sharia law.
These operations were subsequently suspended following a complaint from the National Lottery Commission, which argued that betting on football is permissible under Nigerian federal law as outlined in the 2005 Lottery Act, according to Sufi.
“With this verdict, the controversy on who should be in charge of lottery legislation between the federal government and state governments has been settled,” Sufi added.
“We in Kano have frowned at the lottery law… because it gave legal backing to gambling which is clearly prohibited in Islam.”
Approximately 200 betting establishments are located throughout the city, equipped with television screens that allow customers to view international soccer matches and horse races while placing their bets, as stated by Sydney Emeafu, the head of the National Union of Gaming and Lottery Workers (NUGLOW) in Kano, in an interview with AFP.
Sufi reported that the raids were initiated in response to ongoing complaints from parents regarding their children’s passion for football teams, which has resulted in their involvement in gambling activities.
“And the harsh economic climate is pushing more people into this football gambling, hoping to make easy money and becoming hooked to the vice,” Sufi argued.
