By Ireti Asemota.
US Congressman Riley Moore, a Republican representing West Virginia’s 2nd District, has publicly appealed to the Nigerian government to grant clemency to Sunday Jackson, a Christian farmer sentenced to death for fatally stabbing a Fulani herdsman in self-defense during a farm invasion.
Moore raised the case during a US House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee hearing on Thursday, November 20, 2025, titled “President Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern—CPC’: a serious, well-founded wake-up call.” The session, chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), examined Nigeria’s redesignation as a CPC under the International Religious Freedom Act due to ongoing violations, including attacks by Fulani militants on religious minorities.
“This is a blatant injustice,” Moore stated, highlighting Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, which prohibits civilians from bearing arms, yet allegedly allows Fulani militants to roam freely with weapons like AK-47s. He argued that Jackson, unarmed and defending his property, should not face execution while attackers face no repercussions.
“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 said. “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 and Legal Battle
In 2014 (or possibly 2015, per some reports), Sunday Jackson, then a 20-year-old newlywed farmer in Adamawa State’s Codonti Forest, was working alone on his land when Fulani herdsman Buba Bawuro (also referred to as Ardo Bawuro) trespassed with cattle, sparking a confrontation.
According to Jackson’s account, Bawuro attacked him with a knife, stabbing him multiple times, including in the leg, which temporarily impaired his mobility. In the ensuing struggle, Jackson disarmed the assailant and fatally stabbed him in the neck—acts he has consistently maintained were in self-defense.
Arrested shortly after, Jackson was charged with culpable homicide punishable by death, despite no prior criminal history and his status as a family man (his daughter was born post-arrest, whom he has never met). The trial, which dragged on for years in violation of constitutional timelines for capital cases (Section 294(5)), ended in a 2021 Yola High Court conviction for murder, sentencing him to death by hanging.
The Court of Appeal upheld the ruling, and on March 7, 2025, Nigeria’s Supreme Court affirmed the death sentence in a brief hearing, rejecting self-defense and provocation claims. The apex court ruled that Jackson exceeded “necessary force” by not fleeing after gaining the knife, despite evidence of his injuries.
Critics, including human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe and US advocate William Devlin, decried the verdict as a “gross miscarriage of justice” and a dangerous precedent eroding self-defense rights. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and others have petitioned Adamawa Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri for a state pardon under Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution.
A Change.org petition for presidential clemency has garnered international support, framing the case as emblematic of farmer-herder conflicts and religious persecution in Nigeria.
Broader Context: Farmer-Herder Clashes and Religious Freedom
Moore’s intervention ties into escalating US scrutiny of Nigeria’s handling of violence against Christians, often linked to Fulani militancy. President Trump’s November 2025 CPC redesignation—reviving a 2020 label dropped under Biden—signals concerns over “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” religious freedom violations by groups like Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen.
The hearing featured testimonies from State Department officials and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi Diocese, underscoring calls for sanctions and accountability. Moore accused the Tinubu administration of “complacency,” citing blasphemy laws in some states and unequal application of justice.
This case highlights Nigeria’s deadly farmer-herder disputes, which have claimed thousands of lives and displaced communities, often along ethnic and religious lines. Advocates warn that without reform, such rulings could deter self-protection and fuel unrest.
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