A U.S. congressman, Riley Moore, has urged the Nigerian government to pardon Sunday Jackson, an Adamawa farmer sentenced to death for killing a herdsman during a 2015 altercation. Moore made the appeal during a U.S. House hearing on President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious persecution.
Moore described Jackson’s conviction as unjust, insisting the farmer acted in self-defense while trying to protect his life from an armed attacker. He questioned why “Fulani militants” have continued to operate freely with weapons, while someone defending himself faces execution.
Jackson was arrested after the confrontation that led to the death of the herdsman, Buba Bawuro. Despite Jackson’s claim of self-defense, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 2021. The Supreme Court upheld the sentence in March 2025, ruling that his actions amounted to retaliation, not self-defense.
The case has stirred nationwide debate, with many Nigerians criticizing the ruling and calling for clemency.
Credit: Punch News
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