Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has granted a pardon to Sunday Jackson, who was sentenced to death, as part of activities marking the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Humwashi Wonosikou, said Jackson, who is currently held at the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre, was pardoned alongside Joseph Eugene of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Yola, and Maxwell Ibrahim, who is serving his sentence at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kaduna.
The decision followed calls by a member of the United States House of Representatives, Riley Moore, who had appealed to the Nigerian government to pardon the farmer sentenced to death after killing an attacker while allegedly acting in self-defence.
Moore made the appeal during a hearing in the US House of Representatives on President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), describing the conviction of Jackson as unjust.
“I would urge the Nigerian government to take a look at pardoning Sunday Jackson, who is an individual who was fighting for his own life, defending his life against one of these Fulani militants,” Moore, a Republican, said during the hearing on Thursday.
“That Fulani militant lost his life in that struggle, and now that person, Sunday Jackson, is facing the death penalty. Where is the justice in that?”
Also granted pardon or sentence remission are Joshua James Audo, Adamu Ibrahim, Mohammed Abubakar, Ibrahim Usman, and Saidu Abubakar, who are serving sentences at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Numan and the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Jada.
Governor Fintiri said the beneficiaries had shown remarkable improvement in their behaviour while in custody.
“Therefore, 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 who have served various jail terms and have significantly demonstrated good conduct over the years,” he said.
