National tears as S’Court upholds death sentence for farmer who disarmed, killed herdsman in Self-defence”
“A controversial Supreme Court ruling upholding the death sentence of farmer Sunday Jackson—who killed a herdsman in alleged self-defence—has sparked national outrage, legal criticism, and a rapidly growing petition demanding a presidential pardon.”
In a case that has ignited nationwide debate and raised serious concerns about the credibility of Nigeria’s justice system, 29-year-old farmer and student, Mr. Sunday Jackson, from Dong Community in Demsa LGA of Adamawa State, has been sentenced to death by hanging for what many believe was an act of self-defence during a violent confrontation.
According to court records, the incident occurred in 2015 in Kodomti Community, Numan LGA, when a Fulani herdsman, Buba Ardo Bawuro, allegedly led his cattle onto Jackson’s farmland, destroying his crops. When Jackson protested, Bawuro reportedly launched an attack and stabbed him twice with a knife.
Despite severe injuries, Jackson managed to overpower his attacker, disarm him, and stab Bawuro in what he claimed was self-defence. Bawuro later died from the injuries sustained during the struggle.
Jackson was subsequently arrested and charged by the police with culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 211 of the Penal Code. Although he consistently maintained that he acted in self-defence, a Yola High Court convicted him and sentenced him to death by hanging.
His appeals to the Court of Appeal and eventually to the Supreme Court were dismissed, with the apex court affirming the lower court’s judgment on March 7, 2025.
The ruling has sparked widespread condemnation. Legal analysts and human rights organisations describe the judgment as a “dangerous precedent” that undermines the constitutional right to self-defence and exposes systemic gaps in Nigeria’s justice delivery process.
Speaking on the case, Funke Adeoye, founder of Hope Behind Bars Africa, the organisation that provided legal assistance to Jackson, disclosed that one of the trial judges had initially dismissed the charges. However, Jackson was later convicted largely on the basis of a confessional statement allegedly obtained without legal counsel present, a move critics say constitutes a clear breach of due process.
Public outrage continues to mount. A petition on Change.org demanding a presidential pardon for Jackson has amassed over 56,999 signatures, signalling growing public pressure on the government to intervene.
As civil society organisations, legal experts, and citizens intensify calls for justice, Sunday Jackson’s fate remains uncertain, serving as a painful reminder of the urgent need for reforms in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
