Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has granted a state pardon to Sunday Jackson, a farmer who was sentenced to death by hanging for killing a Fulani herder, a decision that has sparked widespread jubilation across the state capital, Yola.
The pardon was announced on Tuesday and immediately triggered spontaneous celebrations, with residents pouring onto the streets in several parts of Yola, chanting and expressing relief over what many described as a long-awaited intervention in a highly controversial case.
In a statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, it was confirmed that Jackson, who had been awaiting execution at the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in Abuja, was granted pardon alongside two other inmates.
According to the statement, the other beneficiaries of the pardon are Joseph Eugene, an inmate of the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Yola, and Maxwell Ibrahim, who is currently serving his sentence at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kaduna.
Wonosikou explained that the decision to grant the pardon was taken as part of activities marking the Christmas and New Year celebrations, in line with the governor’s commitment to mercy, justice, and rehabilitation.
In addition to the pardons, Governor Fintiri also approved the remission of the remaining jail terms of five other inmates.
Those affected are Joshua James Audo, Adamu Ibrahim, Mohammed Abubakar, Ibrahim Usman, and Saidu Abubakar, who are serving sentences at the Medium Security Custodial Centres in Numan and Jada.
The governor said the decisions followed the recommendations of the Adamawa State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, which considered factors such as good conduct, remorse, and significant behavioural improvement during incarceration.
“In the exercise of my prerogative of mercy as provided for in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and based on the recommendations of the Adamawa State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, I have approved the pardon of three inmates and the remission of sentences of five others,” Fintiri said.
Sunday Jackson’s case has remained one of the most debated criminal cases in recent years.
He was convicted of killing a Fulani herder who allegedly trespassed onto his farm while grazing cattle. Reports indicated that Jackson sustained severe injuries during an attempt to chase the herders away and later overpowered one of them in a struggle that resulted in the herder’s death.
Earlier in the year, the Supreme Court upheld Jackson’s conviction, affirming the death sentence by hanging, a ruling that sparked nationwide outrage, protests, and renewed debates on self-defence, farmer-herder conflicts, and the application of capital punishment.
The case also attracted international attention. In November 2025, a member of the United States House of Representatives, Riley Moore, publicly urged the Nigerian government to grant Jackson a pardon, describing the incident as an act of self-defence.
Moore’s intervention later featured in discussions at the US Congress during debates surrounding Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious violence.
Following the announcement of the pardon, commercial activities in parts of Yola were temporarily disrupted as traders shut their shops in celebration, with many residents hailing the governor’s decision as an act of justice and compassion.