Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has granted a pardon to Sunday Jackson, a farmer who was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court for killing a herder in what was described as self-defence.
The pardon was signed on Monday under Section 212 of the Nigerian Constitution, following sustained appeals from community leaders and the victim’s family for clemency.
Jackson, a local farmer from Don village in Demsa Local Government Area, was attacked on his farm in 2015, an incident that resulted in a fatal altercation and his subsequent arrest.
He had spent over a decade in custody before the Supreme Court upheld a death sentence for the killing, a ruling that ignited national debate on the rights to self‑defense and justice.
Community leaders and the family of the deceased had appealed to Governor Fintiri to exercise his prerogative of mercy and pardon Jackson. The governor agreed and signed the clemency order on Monday.
According to a statement released on Tuesday in Yola by Governor Fintiri’s Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, the pardon is in commemoration of Christmas and New Year celebrations,
“Others who had the remainder of their sentences remitted whole include Joshua James Audo, Adamu Ibrahim, Mohammed Abubakar, Ibrahim Usman and Saidu Abubakar serving at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Numan and Medium Security Custodial Centre, Jada,” Humwashi stated.
He explained that Governor Fintiri extended his gesture to the inmates because the inmates had demonstrated significant improvement in their behaviour and conduct.
He quoted Fintiri as saying, “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.”