US LAWMAKER URGES NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT TO PARDON FARMER SENTENCED TO DEATH

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

A member of the United States House of Representatives, Riley Moore, has called on the Nigerian government to grant clemency to a farmer, Sunday Jackson, who was sentenced to death for killing a herdsman during a 2015 confrontation in Adamawa State.

Speaking on Thursday at a U.S. House hearing on President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, Moore described Jackson’s conviction as “unjust,” insisting he acted in self-defence.

“I would urge the Nigerian government to take a look at pardoning Sunday Jackson, who was fighting for his own life, defending his life against one of these Fulani militants,” the Republican lawmaker said. “That Fulani militant lost his life in that struggle, and now Jackson is facing the death penalty. Where is the justice in that?”

Moore also raised concerns over insecurity in Nigeria, particularly in the Middle Belt region, questioning why armed militant groups allegedly using AK-47 rifles and small arms have not been targeted for disarmament by the government.

“Why hasn’t there been a move or campaign by the Nigerian government to disarm these militants? We’re seeing much of the killing coming from them,” he queried, adding that such action could have significant impact.

Jackson was arrested after an altercation with herder Buba Bawuro on his farm in 2015. He claimed he acted in self-defence when attacked, but was charged with murder and sentenced to death by an Adamawa State High Court in 2021 for using the recovered weapon to fatally stab his now-unarmed assailant.

Despite widespread controversy surrounding the case, the Supreme Court on March 7, 2025 upheld the death sentence, ruling that Jackson’s actions amounted to retaliation and not self-defence. The decision has sparked public debate, with many Nigerians questioning the court’s dismissal of his self-defence claim.

Moore’s appeal adds international attention to the case, intensifying pressure on Nigerian authorities to review Jackson’s conviction.