By Ademola Adekusibe
23rd December 2025
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State has granted a state pardon to Sunday Jackson, a farmer who was sentenced to death for killing a herdsman in what was widely believed to be an act of self-defence.
Jackson, who had been held at the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre, was pardoned alongside two other inmates, Joseph Eugene and Maxwell Ibrahim, as part of the governor’s Christmas and New Year prerogative of mercy.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou. According to the statement, five other inmates serving sentences at custodial centres in Numan and Jada also had the remainder of their jail terms remitted.
Governor Fintiri said the decision followed recommendations from the Adamawa State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy and was based on the inmates’ good conduct and demonstrated reform while in custody.
Jackson’s case had attracted national attention, with sustained public calls for intervention over concerns that his conviction stemmed from defending himself during an attack.