The Kano State Hisbah Board says it has arrested at least 14 persons including a woman over alleged Betnaija sports betting in Badawa area of Kano city.
Daily News 24 reports that the command made the arrests under a new operation tagged “Operation Happy Sallah”, where they raided betting shops in different locations across the city.
The Hisbah board in justifying the arrests said there is a law prohibiting betting and gambling just like there is a law prohibiting sales and consumption of alcohol in the state.
One of the suspects, Ismail Ibrahim, said he was just a staff hired to work in one of the betting shops.
Mr Ibrahim, a native of Osun state said the betting shop belonged to his boss, adding he had been in the betting job for about a year.
Another suspect, who did not reveal his name said he decided to visit the betting joint after returned from the market.
He said he earned N500 from the market, invested N200 to the Betnaija sports bet on the UEFA champions league.
“I came to bet on Manchester United in the UEFA league but I just saw the Hisbah people coming to arrest me,” he said.
A third suspect, a 21-year-old, said he had spent at least five years participating in Betnaija sports gamble, adding that he knew it was wrong and prayed Allah to guide them.
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“We can’t hide anything to you. We are all gamblers here and we know its wrong.
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve wasted in gambling over the years because its a lot of money,” he said.
He added that gamblers are so pauperized by betting that they could not afford decent clothes.
“We are advising those that are not doing this better not to start. And we are praying that Allah will help those of us suffering from its evil to quit”.
Confirming the arrests. Dr Mujahid Aminuddeen said the Hisbah board decided to clamp down on gambling and betting because it encourages stealing and and drug abuse.
“As part of our usual operation against immorality, we have beamed our search light on gambling due to its manifest evil.
“Some of our youths are pushed into stealing and selling illicit drugs in order to generate money for gambling and betting,” he said.
According to Dr Aminuddeen, most of the operators of the gambling joints are not natives of Kano and some of them are not even Muslims.
“But they have come into Kano to destroy our youths with drugs, betting and gambling. They should know that we won’t accept it because we have a law that criminalizes betting and gambling,” he added.
