YOLA, ADAMAWA STATE, DECEMBER 23, 2025 – Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has granted a full pardon to Sunday Jackson, a farmer whose death sentence for killing a herdsman on his farm sparked years of national controversy and international calls for clemency. The pardon was announced on Tuesday as part of a Christmas and New Year clemency exercise.
Jackson, who had been incarcerated for over a decade and held at the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in Abuja, was among three inmates granted full pardons. Five others had the remainder of their prison sentences remitted.
A Case That Captivated a Nation
The case of Sunday Jackson became a flashpoint in Nigeria’s ongoing tensions between farmers and herders. Jackson was convicted and sentenced to death in 2019 after a violent confrontation on his farmland in which a herder was killed.
· Widespread Perception of Injustice: Rights groups, lawyers, and community leaders consistently argued that Jackson acted in self-defense, claiming the herder attacked him first. His conviction was seen by many as a symbol of the criminalization of farmers defending their livelihoods.
· International Advocacy: The case drew significant foreign attention. U.S. Congressman Riley M. Moore became a vocal advocate, pressing for Jackson’s release during congressional hearings and in meetings with senior Nigerian officials. In a statement praising the pardon, Congressman Moore said, “Sunday Jackson is free! After more than a decade in prison serving a death sentence for defending himself”.
The Governor’s Prerogative of Mercy
In the official statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, Governor Fintiri stated the pardon was exercised under his constitutional powers and followed the recommendations of the Adamawa State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy.
The governor cited the inmates’ “significant improvement in their behaviour and conduct” as the basis for the clemency. The official announcement focused on this rehabilitation, avoiding any commentary on the legal merits or facts of Jackson’s original case.
Mixed Reactions and a Call for Safety
The pardon has been met with widespread relief among Jackson’s supporters and farming communities, where his sentence was viewed as a grave injustice. However, it has also highlighted the deep societal divisions surrounding farmer-herder conflicts.
· U.S. Congressman’s View: Congressman Moore framed the pardon as “a positive development” in U.S.-Nigeria relations, demonstrating the Nigerian government’s willingness to engage on human rights and security concerns. He also called on Nigerian authorities to “ensure Sunday’s safety during and following his release”.
· Counter-Narrative on Social Media: On social media, alternative narratives emerged. One widely shared Facebook post contested the self-defense claim, arguing the case was “twisted” by international Christian groups to influence foreign policy and questioning why foreign intervention was sought in a Nigerian judicial matter.
Full List of Beneficiaries
The Christmas clemency benefited a total of eight individuals:
Granted Full Pardon:
· Sunday Jackson: Previously at Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre, Abuja.
· Joseph Eugene: Previously at Medium Security Custodial Centre, Yola.
· Maxwell Ibrahim: Previously at Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kaduna.
Granted Full Remission of Remaining Sentence:
· Joshua James Audo
· Adamu Ibrahim
· Mohammed Abubakar
· Ibrahim Usman
· Saidu Abubakar
(These five were serving their terms at the Medium Security Custodial Centres in Numan and Jada, Adamawa State).
With this pardon, Sunday Jackson’s long legal battle concludes not through a judicial reversal, but through an executive act of mercy, closing a chapter that had become a potent symbol of Nigeria’s complex security and ethnic tensions.
