Adamawa Governor Pardons Farmer After 10 Years on Death Row in Controversial Self-Defence Case

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In a rare and far-reaching act of executive clemency, Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has granted a full pardon to Sunday Jackson, a farmer from the Dong community who spent nearly 10 years on death row over a killing linked to Nigeria’s protracted farmer-herder conflicts.

Jackson was convicted in 2014 for the killing of a Fulani herdsman during a violent encounter he consistently maintained was an act of self-defence. Despite widespread public debate surrounding the circumstances of the case, the courts upheld his conviction and death sentence, with Nigeria’s Supreme Court reaffirming the ruling as recently as 2025.

The governor’s decision followed recommendations from relevant authorities, which cited Jackson’s good conduct, remorse, and rehabilitation during his incarceration at the Kuje Correctional Centre. The pardon brings a sudden and dramatic end to a case that has drawn both national and international attention.

Reacting to the development, United States Congressman Riley Moore, who had publicly advocated for Jackson’s release, hailed the decision as a triumph of justice and humanity.

Moore described the pardon as a long-awaited relief, noting that Jackson would now spend the holidays reunited with his family after years behind bars.

Governor Fintiri also extended clemency to other inmates as part of the exercise, granting full pardons to two additional prisoners and commuting the sentences of five others, in what the state government described as a reaffirmation of its commitment to justice, mercy, and rehabilitation.

The pardon has reignited public discourse on the use of the death penalty in Nigeria, the handling of self-defence claims in communal conflicts, and the critical role of executive intervention in addressing perceived miscarriages of justice.