The Islamic morality police, known as Hisbah, in Kano, northern Nigeria, are preparing to restart their crackdown on betting shops after a Supreme Court ruling on gambling laws.
The court recently annulled the 2005 law that established a national lottery commission and legalized sports betting, ruling that the regulation of gambling falls under the authority of state governments.
Kano State, one of Nigeria’s 12 predominantly Muslim states where Islamic Sharia law operates alongside federal law, has long banned gambling.
Abba Sufi, the director general of Kano Hisbah, stated, “We will resume our clampdown on betting shops with renewed determination since gambling is illegal under Kano state Sharia law.”
Last month, Hisbah agents raided and shut down numerous football betting shops in the city, claiming they encouraged gambling, which is prohibited under Sharia law. However, the operations were paused after the National Lottery Commission argued that the 2005 Lottery Act legalized football betting under federal law, according to Sufi.
“With this ruling, the dispute over whether federal or state governments should regulate lottery legislation has been resolved,” Sufi added. “In Kano, we have opposed the lottery law because it provides legal support for gambling, which is strictly forbidden in Islam.”
Kano is home to about 200 betting shops, where customers place wagers on international soccer matches and horse races, said Sydney Emeafu, head of the National Union of Gaming and Lottery Workers (NUGLOW) in Kano.
Sufi explained that the raids were prompted by concerns from parents about children getting involved in gambling through football. “The difficult economic situation is pushing more people into football betting, hoping to make easy money, and leading many to become addicted to the vice,” he said.
