Date: 2018-04-19

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Concerns over craze for pools staking in Ilorin, Kwara state, are growing especially against the backdrop of a recent suicide committed by a chronic staker. UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB writes on the proliferation of betting centres and its consequences on the youths

Proliferation of betting centres Naira bet, Naija bet to mention but few are among the many get rich quick businesses thriving in Ilorin, Kwara state capital. Today, there is hardly any street in Ilorin where naira bet is not in operation. It is a common sight to see youth in their prime to patronise these centres. In fact, this seems to be the most thriving business engaged in by the youths in Ilorin Kwara state capital. Although, many communities' development associations including the Ilorin Emirate Descendants' Progressive Union (IEDPU) an umbrella body of all sociocultural organisations in the emirate have risen against the proliferation of these centres, it has continued to thrive well in many areas.

Football viewing centres Investigation by Blueprint revealed that the craze for soccer, especially the foreign leagues has in no small measure contributed to the growth of this new industry. Many clubs fans could hardly go for a football match without first engaging in naira betting over which club will win or lose. For every high profile football match, there is always a corresponding patronage of betting centres where club fans put their money in anticipation for .

At the end of those matches, it had always been a case of a loser and winner. While the winner smiles to the banks, the losers were a sober and frown faces. In some cases, the worse happened as some people have been reported to have committed suicide after losing.

This is exactly what played out in Ilorin, Kwara sate capital few days ago.

Suicide mission It was a bad day last weekend for Barcelona FC fans in the semi –-final of champions following the death of a 25 year- old man who reportedly took his own life in Ilorin, Kwara state after allegedly losing out in a betting over expected result of a European Champions League match. The incident was said to have occurred in Oko-Erin area of the town after the return leg match between FC Barcelona of Spain and AS Roma of Italy played in Italy. The deceased was said to have engaged in a betting with someone else using a motorcycle in his possession for the betting.

He was said to have bet that Barcelona who were leading by 4-1 in the first leg played at Nou Camp, Spain would maintain lead at the end of the return leg and be through to the semifinal of the championship. However, the match turned out to be 3-0 in favour of AS Roma, making the aggregate result to be 4-4 with Roma qualifying for the semi-final at the expense of Barcelona by virtue of away goals rule.

Staking motorbike The result made the deceased to lose the motorcycle to his opponent in the bet as the opponent reportedly smiled home with the bike from the viewing centre at the night immediately after the match. The man was said to be downcast with the loss of the motorcycle as some said he used it for commercial purposes and that it was his main source of livelihood . However, some others said it was someone's else and not him the owner of the bike and that he only had it in his custody on behalf of the owner.

It was learnt that not being able to recover from the trauma, the man resorted to committing suicide by hanging himself. An eyewitness who said not many people are aware of the incident disclosed that the development devastated the deceased's Igbo kinsmen in the area who lamented the action of the man. Spokesman of Kwara state Police command, Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the suicide however said it was not in connection with match betting. Okasanmi explained that report with him indicated that the man committed the suicide because of huge debt hanging on his neck saying "the man was said to have incurred debt here and there."

He said the deceased took his life by hanging himself on a ceiling fan in his apartment.

Clamp down by communities Worried about the development, community development associations under the baner of Joint Development Community Association Comprising over 30 communities in Ilorin west recently commenced a clamp down on centre operating with an instruction to land lords not to rent out their properties for such businesses.

President of the Joint Community Development Association Engineer Salman Yusuf, who spoke with our Correspondents' lamented that that the proliferation of naira betting centres is having a negative influence and the progress of the youths in the Ilorin emirate. Growing trend He said the associations have pattered with land lords associations in every community to stop the growing trend. He regretted that many youths of school ages no longer concentrate on their studies as they patronise these centres during school hours.

Yusuf said as a first step, the communities reported the matter to the police before we moved against them, so far we have sealed at least 10 shops because it is illegal to our tradition. "We are not saying it is illegal in the face of the law but it is illegal to our tradition in Ilorin. And this is retarding the educational progress of our youths. '

'The last time we raided one of the centres in our area we, flushed out about 30 teenagers, the eldest amongst them are ages 14 and 15,others are between 12 and 13 years of age. Most of them are in Senior Secondary School, SS1. You can imagine, if one of them wins N10,000 today and he spends it lavishly ,tomorrow he wins another amount and lavished it, how can he manage resources even his salary by the time he stars working", he said.