U.S. Congressman Demands Pardon for Nigerian Farmer on Death Row

U.S. Congressman Riley M. Moore has urged the Nigerian government to grant clemency to Sunday Jackson, a farmer on death row for the killing of a Fulani herdsman in what he insists was an act of self-defense.

Jackson was attacked on his farm in Codonti Forest, Adamawa State, in 2014 by Buba Bawuro, a herdsman who allegedly trespassed onto his land with cattle.

According to Jackson’s account, Bawuro stabbed him multiple times during a confrontation. Jackson said he managed to overpower his attacker, seize the knife, and fatally stab Bawuro in the neck while defending himself.

Despite maintaining that he acted to save his own life, Jackson was arrested, charged with murder, and in 2021 sentenced to death by hanging. The Nigerian Supreme Court upheld the conviction on March 7, 2025.

Speaking during a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on President Donald Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), Congressman Moore condemned the ruling as unjust.

“I would urge the Nigerian government to consider pardoning Sunday Jackson,” Moore said. “He was defending his life against a Fulani militant. That militant lost his life in the struggle, yet Jackson now faces the death penalty. Where is the justice in that?”

Moore’s remarks have drawn attention to concerns over the fairness of Jackson’s prosecution and have reignited debate on how Nigeria’s justice system handles cases involving self-defense, farmer-herder tensions, and rural security.