US Congressman Urges Pardon for Nigerian Farmer Sentenced to Death for Self-Defense

US Congressman Riley M. Moore has publicly appealed to the Nigerian government to grant a pardon to farmer Sunday Jackson, who was convicted and sentenced to death for fatally injuring a Fulani herdsman during a physical confrontation on his farm.

The Republican politician made his plea during a U.S. House of Representatives hearing concerning President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).

Moore argued that the verdict convicting Jackson for acting in self-defense was 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,” the Congressman stated during the hearing on Thursday.

He questioned the fairness of the situation, asking, “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?”

The incident occurred in 2014 when Jackson was attacked on his farm in Codonti Forest, Adamawa State, by Buba Bawuro, a Fulani herdsman whose cattle had trespassed.

Jackson testified that Bawuro drew a knife and stabbed him multiple times during the altercation. In the ensuing struggle, Jackson managed to take the knife and fatally stab Bawuro in the neck.

Despite consistently claiming self-defense, Jackson was arrested and charged with murder. In 2021, a court in Yola sentenced him to death by hanging, a decision that was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday, March 7, 2025.