- Islamic morality police in Kano, Nigeria, to resume crackdown on betting shops following a supreme court ruling on gambling
- The Nigerian supreme court quashed a 2005 law that established a national lottery commission and legalized sports betting and gambling
- The court ruled that gambling regulation is a matter for state governments
- Kano State, where Islamic sharia is used alongside federal law, has prohibited betting under its sharia law
- The Hisbah, a state unit that polices sharia law in Kano, will resume raids on betting shops with renewed determination
The Islamic morality police in Kano, Nigeria, are set to resume their crackdown on betting shops after a supreme court ruling on gambling. The Nigerian supreme court recently quashed a 2005 law that established a national lottery commission and legalized sports betting and gambling.
The court’s decision has given state governments the authority to regulate gambling, and Kano State, where Islamic sharia is used alongside federal law, has prohibited betting under its sharia law. Abba Sufi, director general of the Kano Hisbah, stated that they will resume raids on betting shops with renewed determination.
The Hisbah had previously raided and closed dozens of football betting shops across the city, but halted the raids after the National Lottery Commission protested that betting on football was legal under Nigerian federal law. With the supreme court’s ruling, the controversy over who should be in charge of lottery legislation has been settled, according to Sufi.
