Reactions have begun to trail the decision of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State to grant clemency to Sunday Jackson, a local farmer sentenced to death for killing an armed herder in self-defence.
The armed herder was said to have attacked Jackson on his farm land.
The news of the clemency was met with immediate praise from Riley Moore, a prominent ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and a member of the House of Representatives.
Fintiri announced the pardon on Tuesday in a press statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou.
Wonosikou explained that Jackson, who was awaiting execution at the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre, Abuja, was pardoned alongside two other inmates.
“Jackson, who is in Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre, has been pardoned alongside Joseph Eugene from the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Yola, and Maxwell Ibrahim, serving at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kaduna,” Wonosikou said.
He explained that the local farmer sentenced to death for killing the armed herder who attacked him in self-defence was pardoned in commemoration of the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The governor also approved the remission of the remaining jail terms of five other inmates—Joshua James Audo, Adamu Ibrahim, Mohammed Abubakar, Ibrahim Usman, and Saidu Abubakar—serving sentences at the Medium Security Custodial Centres in Numan and Jada.
Fintiri said the decision followed recommendations from the Adamawa State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, citing good conduct and significant behavioural improvement by the inmates.
“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,” the governor said.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the pardoning of the farmer sentenced to death for killing a herder comes after years of intense legal battles and growing pressure from global human rights advocates and high-profile political figures in the United States.
Jackson, who was sentenced to death for the killing of a herder in what he maintained was an act of self-defense, has become a symbol of the volatile farmer-herder tensions in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
Moore, who had previously championed Jackson’s cause during a congressional hearing on religious freedom and security in Nigeria, described the release as a long-overdue correction of a “grave travesty.”
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 was convicted of killing a Fulani herder who was grazing cattle on his farm. Reports indicated that the farmer sustained serious injuries while attempting to chase the herders away and overpowered one of them during a struggle, which resulted in the herder’s death.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court upheld Jackson’s conviction and sentenced him to death by hanging, a judgment that generated widespread public debate and condemnation.
In November 2025, Moore called on the Nigerian government to pardon Jackson, describing the killing as an act of self-defence.
Moore argued that Jackson had acted to protect his life during the confrontation and questioned the fairness of imposing the death penalty under such circumstances.
His case also featured in the U.S Congress during a debate on President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged Christian genocide in the country.
