Adamawa Governor Grants Pardon To Farmer, Sunday Jackson, Sentenced To Death For Killing Herder
Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has granted a pardon to Sunday Jackson, a farmer who was sentenced to death for killing a herder during a confrontation on his farmland, a case that had drawn widespread criticism and human rights concerns.
Jackson was convicted following a violent encounter in which he was reportedly attacked while working on his farm. Although supporters consistently maintained that he acted in self-defence, the court handed him a death sentence. He was later transferred to the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in Abuja.
For several years, the case became a rallying point for human rights advocates and farming communities, who viewed the conviction as emblematic of what they described as the criminalisation of farmers defending themselves against attacks.
On Tuesday, that chapter came to an end when Governor Fintiri exercised his constitutional prerogative of mercy, granting Jackson a full pardon as part of the state’s Christmas and New Year clemency programme.
The decision was welcomed across Adamawa State, particularly among rural farmers who had feared that Jackson’s conviction set a dangerous precedent for self-defence in farming communities.
According to the governor, the pardon followed recommendations from the Adamawa State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy and was also based on Jackson’s conduct while in custody.
“Therefore, in the exercise of my prerogative of mercy as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in line with the recommendations of the Adamawa State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, I have granted pardon to three persons and directed the remission of the remainder of the sentences of five others who have served various jail terms and have significantly demonstrated good conduct over the years,” Fintiri said.
While the official announcement did not revisit the details of Jackson’s trial, rights groups argue that the pardon effectively acknowledges that the death sentence was unjustified.
In total, three inmates received full pardons, while five others had their sentences completely remitted. However, Jackson’s release remained the focal point of public discussion across the state.
