The Kano State Hisbah board has said that the command has arrested at least 14 persons including a woman over alleged Betnaija sports betting in the Badawa area of Kano city.
The board disclosed that the board 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.
However, one of the suspects, Ismail Ibrahim, said he was just a staff hired to work in one of the betting shops.
A native of Osun state, Ibrahim 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 returning from the market.
He said he earned N500 from the market and invested N200 in the 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 sports betting, adding that he knew it was wrong and prayed to Allah to guide them.
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