Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has approved the release of Sunday Jackson, a farmer who had been on death row after being convicted for killing a man he said attacked him on his farmland.
The decision followed the governor’s exercise of the constitutional prerogative of mercy.
Jackson was among three inmates granted a full state pardon as part of activities marking the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Moreover, the sentences of five other inmates serving various jail terms were completely remitted.
In addition to Jackson, Joseph Eugene and Maxwell Ibrahim, who were held at medium-security custodial facilities in Yola and Kaduna, respectively, also benefited from the pardon.
Furthermore, Joshua James Audo, Adamu Ibrahim, Mohammed Abubakar, Ibrahim Usman, and Saidu Abubakar were granted full sentence remission while serving in Numan and Jada custodial centres.
Reacting to the development, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, said the action followed careful consideration of recommendations submitted by the Adamawa State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy.
He explained that the council’s assessment focused on conduct, rehabilitation, and overall reform.
“The governor considered the substantial improvement in behaviour and attitude shown by the affected inmates,” Wonosikou said.
“This decision reflects a balance between justice, mercy, and the goal of reintegrating reformed individuals into society.”
Jackson’s case has remained one of the most debated legal matters in the state and beyond.
In February 2021, an Adamawa High Court sentenced him to death, rejecting his argument that he acted in self-defence during the incident on his farm.
However, the ruling did not end the controversy. In June 2022, the Court of Appeal sitting in Adamawa upheld the conviction, dismissing the appeal and affirming the death sentence.
Hence, the judgement intensified public conversations around self-defence laws and capital punishment in Nigeria.
In January, the Supreme Court also upheld the lower courts’ decisions.
Nevertheless, one of the justices issued a dissenting opinion that urged mercy, a position that later resonated with human rights advocates and legal analysts.
The case equally attracted international attention.
Earlier this year, a United States congressman called on the Nigerian government to intervene, describing the conviction as inconsistent with widely accepted principles of self-defence.
With the governor’s intervention, Jackson’s release marks a significant turning point in a case that has shaped national and global discussions on justice, proportional punishment, and executive clemency.
