U.S. Congressman Riley M. Moore has welcomed the pardon and release of Sunday Jackson, a Nigerian farmer who was sentenced to death after killing a herdsman in alleged self-defence.
Jackson was granted a pardon on Tuesday by Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri as part of a Christmas and New Year clemency exercise. The decision ended more than a decade of incarceration for the farmer, whose case had drawn local and international attention.
Reacting on Wednesday, Moore said Jackson’s freedom marked the end of injustice.
“Sunday Jackson is free! After more than a decade in prison serving a death sentence for defending himself, Sunday Jackson has been pardoned,” the congressman said in a statement.
“I have been advocating for Sunday’s release both in public and in private meetings, including during my recent Congressional Delegation visit to Nigeria,” he added.
Moore said he had pressed for Jackson’s release during congressional hearings, media engagements, and meetings with senior Nigerian officials in both Nigeria and the United States.
He described the pardon as a positive signal in Nigeria–U.S. relations, saying it showed a willingness by the Nigerian government to engage Washington on security and human rights concerns.
“There is much more to do, but I continue to see positive steps that my concerns and the concerns of President Trump are being taken seriously by the Nigerian government,” Moore said.
He added: “I want to thank President Bola Tinubu for his administration’s willingness to engage in continued constructive discussions with the U.S. Government on establishing a strategic security framework between our two countries to tackle the multifaceted security challenges facing Nigeria.”
The lawmaker also called on authorities to ensure Jackson’s safety following his release.
“The Nigerian government at the Federal and State level must ensure Sunday’s safety during and following his release,” he added.
Jackson, an Adamawa farmer, had been on death row after being convicted for killing a herdsman, a case widely perceived by rights advocates as involving self-defence. His case attracted widespread calls for clemency from civil society groups and religious organisations.
In a statement issued Tuesday in Yola, Governor Fintiri’s Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, said the governor exercised his constitutional prerogative of mercy to pardon Jackson alongside two other inmates, while remitting the remaining sentences of five others.
Fintiri was quoted as saying the beneficiaries had shown “significant improvement in their behaviour and conduct” while in custody, adding that the gesture was part of activities marking the Christmas and New Year celebrations.