Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has officially granted a full pardon to Sunday Jackson, the farmer who had been on death row after killing a herder in what he and many supporters insisted was clear self-defence.
Jackson, whose case had sparked national and international outrage among human rights activists, Christian and farming communities, was convicted in 2021 by an Adamawa High Court and later had his death sentence upheld on appeal and by the Supreme Court. Courts rejected his claim that he acted in self-defence during an altercation on his farm in Kodomti village, Demsa Local Government Area.
He was serving his sentence at the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in Abuja when the pardon was announced on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, as part of the state government’s Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Governor Fintiri exercised his constitutional prerogative of mercy, following recommendations from the Adamawa State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, citing improved conduct in custody and other considerations.
The pardon did not apply just to Jackson — the governor also pardoned two other inmates and remitted the remaining sentences for five others held in facilities across Yola, Kaduna, Numan, and Jada.
For years, Jackson’s case stood as a potent symbol of controversy, with critics describing his conviction and sentence as a miscarriage of justice and a chilling warning to farmers across Nigeria that defending their lives and livelihoods could lead to the death penalty.
The news of his release was welcomed by many, triggering relief and celebration across Adamawa, especially among rural farming communities who had long campaigned for clemency.
Internationally, U.S. lawmakers also reacted positively to the pardon, highlighting the global pressure surrounding the case in recent months.
That chapter in Jackson’s life — and in Nigeria’s broader debate over self-defence, justice, and the rights of farmers — now closes with his freedom restored.
