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 the state.
The command made the arrests under a new operation tagged “Operation Happy Sallah”, where they raided betting shops in different locations across the state metropolis.
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.
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One of the suspects, Ismail Ibrahim, said he was just a staff hired to work in one of the betting shops.
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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,”
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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