The Kano State Hisbah Board has declared its readiness to resume raids on betting shops after the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that gambling regulation falls under the jurisdiction of state governments.
LEADERSHIP reports that the ruling invalidated a 2005 federal law which established the National Lottery Regulatory Commission and legalised sports betting nationwide. The apex court ruled that gambling regulation is a matter for state governments.
The Director General of the Kano Hisbah Board,
Abba Sufi, announced the decision during an interview with AFP, stating that the verdict provides clarity on the authority to regulate gambling. “We will resume our clampdown on betting shops with renewed determination since betting is illegal under Kano State sharia law,” he said.
Last month, Hisbah operatives conducted raids across Kano city, shutting down dozens of football betting shops. However, the operations were halted after the National Lottery Commission protested that the 2005 Lottery Act permitted such activities under federal law.
“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 said. “We in Kano have frowned at the lottery law because it gave legal backing to gambling, which is clearly prohibited in Islam.”
Sufi noted that the crackdown was a response to public complaints about the negative influence of betting, particularly on children.
“The harsh economic climate is pushing more people into football gambling, hoping to make easy money and becoming hooked to the vice,” Sufi explained.
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