26th November 2024
By Idris Buba
Following the Nigerian Supreme Court quashing of a 2005 law that established a national lottery commission and legalized sports betting and gambling, the Kano State Hisbah Board has threatened to arrest any person found engaging in gambling.
While justifying the move, which also threatened to shutdown betting shops, the Kano Hisbah Board insisted that “betting is illegal under the state’s Sharia law.”
The court had ruled that gambling regulation is a matter for state governments marking a significant shift in the oversight of the industry.
The ruling has sparked immediate reactions, particularly in Kano State, where Islamic Sharia law operates alongside federal laws.
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Director-General of the State Hisbah Board, Dr. Abba Sufi, disclosed that the board would crack down on betting establishments, stressing, “We will resume our clampdown on betting shops with renewed determination since betting is illegal under Kano State Sharia law.”
Sufi said the lottery law had been a source of concern to the state due to its perceived endorsement of gambling, which is forbidden in Islam since the state operates Sharia laws.
