Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has granted a full pardon to Sunday Jackson, a farmer who spent 11 years on death row following a 2015 self-defense killing of a herder whose cattle grazed his farmland, as part of Christmas clemency measures.

The incident occurred when 20-year-old Jackson confronted herder Buba Ardo Bawuro in Demsa Local Government Area. After Bawuro allegedly stabbed Jackson multiple times, Jackson disarmed him and fatally stabbed Bawuro in the throat during the struggle.

Convicted of culpable homicide in 2021, the sentence was upheld by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in March 2025. Advocacy from groups like Hope Behind Bars Africa and U.S. Representative Riley Moore highlighted overlooked self-defense rights under Nigerian law.

Fintiri's pardon—based on Jackson's good conduct and recommendations from the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy—enabled his release and emotional family reunion in Yola amid celebrations.

Governor's spokesman Humwashi Wonosikou confirmed the clemency, part of broader Christmas mercy freeing select inmates.