The Numan Ministers’ Forum, a body of clergy members led by Archbishop Japhet Tonmwoso, has appealed to Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to grant clemency to Mr. Sunday Jackson, who has been sentenced to death by hanging following a Supreme Court ruling.
The forum condemned the ruling, calling it a miscarriage of justice. According to their statement, Jackson was merely defending himself when a confrontation with a Fulani herder led to a tragic fatality.
The group recounted that Jackson was tending to his farm when the herder allegedly drove his cattle onto his land, destroying his crops.
In the dispute, the herder reportedly stabbed Jackson twice, once in the back and once in the leg. Acting in self-defense, Jackson, according to them, overpowered the herder, took his knife, and used it in retaliation, resulting in the herder’s death.
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The clergy members emphasized that the Nigerian Constitution and Criminal Code recognize the right to self-defense.
They argued that Jackson’s actions were not premeditated but were purely driven by the need to protect his life and property in an environment where farmers have frequently suffered violent attacks and crop destruction.
Through their leader, Archbishop Tonmwoso, the forum challenged the court’s position that Jackson should have fled the scene after disarming the herder instead of retaliating. They contended that expecting a man who had already sustained stab wounds to flee was unrealistic and unjust.
In their appeal, the ministers urged Governor Fintiri to invoke his constitutional powers under Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to grant a full pardon, commute the death sentence, or exercise his prerogative of mercy. They argued that such an intervention would serve the interests of justice, equity, and humanity.
