Islamic morality police in Kano, a northern Nigerian city, are set to resume their crackdown on betting shops following a recent Nigerian Supreme Court ruling on gambling
On Friday, the Supreme Court annulled a 2005 law that established a national lottery commission and legalized sports betting and gambling. The court ruled that regulation of gambling should be handled by state governments.
Kano is one of 12 predominantly Muslim states in Nigeria where Islamic sharia law is applied alongside federal law. Abba Sufi, the Director General of the Kano Hisbah, told AFP, “We will resume our clampdown on betting shops with renewed determination since betting is illegal under Kano state sharia law.” The Hisbah is responsible for enforcing sharia law in Kano, the largest city in northern Nigeria. Last month, Hisbah operatives raided and shut down dozens of football betting shops in the city, arguing that gambling is prohibited under sharia. The raids were paused after the National Lottery Commission protested, claiming that betting on football was legal under Nigerian federal law through the 2005 Lottery Act.

“With this verdict, the controversy over who should regulate lottery legislation—federal or state governments—has been settled,” Sufi said. “We in Kano have always opposed the lottery law because it provided legal backing for gambling, which is clearly prohibited in Islam.” There are about 200 betting shops in the city, where customers watch international soccer matches and horse races on TV while placing bets, according to Sydney Emeafu, head of the National Union of Gaming and Lottery Workers (NUGLOW) in Kano.

Sufi noted that the raids were prompted by concerns from parents, whose children had become involved in gambling due to their passion for football. He added that the harsh economic climate was driving more people into football betting, hoping to make quick money, leading to addiction.