The Secretary General of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop David Bakare, has appealed to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State to grant clemency to Sunday Jackson, who was sentenced to death for killing his attacker in self-defence.
Bakare made the appeal on Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna, urging the governor to show mercy in the spirit of love and humanity.
“There are many reasons why we feel the judgment should have been different. The Supreme Court has acted within its authority, but the governor has the power to grant mercy, which is supreme over judgment,” he said.
The cleric called for clemency in the spirit of the fasting and prayer season observed by both Christians and Muslims in the country.
Jackson was convicted for killing a herder who allegedly attacked him with a knife while he was working on his farm.
In 2021, an Adamawa High Court sentenced him to death, ruling that he had the opportunity to escape instead of retaliating.
The Supreme Court upheld the decision on March 7, 2025, a ruling that has sparked public outcry.
Reacting to the judgment, Jackson’s counsel, Emmanuel Ogebe, an international human rights lawyer, criticized the ruling, describing it as a dangerous precedent.
“This is a sad day for Nigerians and their right to self-defence,” Ogebe said in an interview on Arise TV.
He added that Jackson’s conviction undermines the fundamental right to protect oneself from imminent harm.
With the Supreme Court’s verdict final, Governor Fintiri now holds the authority to grant a pardon.
Observers and human rights activists continue to call for clemency, urging the governor to consider the circumstances of the case.
