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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has appealed to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State to temper justice with mercy by pardoning Sunday Jackson, a man sentenced to death for killing a Fulani herdsman in self-defence.
The Secretary General of the PFN, Pastor David Bakare, asked Governor Fintiri to temper justice with mercy by pardoning Jackson.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday in Kaduna, Bakare pleaded with the governor to have mercy on Jackson in the spirit of love and for the fact that “all of us are pleading for mercy from God.”
The clergyman said, “There are many reasons why we feel the judgement should be better, but the Supreme Court has acted supremely. However, the governor should act by the mercy that is supreme over judgement.
“Among ourselves, we should grant mercy in the spirit of the season of sacrifice, fasting, and prayers by both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. This is our desire and our plea.”
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On March 7, the Supreme Court upheld the ruling of a high court which sentenced Jackson to death for killing his attacker in self-defence.
Jackson was reportedly cultivating his farm when the herder, armed with a knife, attacked and stabbed him. He was said to have overpowered his aggressor in self-defence, resulting in the herder’s death.
In a ruling in 2021, an Adamawa High Court sentenced Jackson to death for the killing. The court held that Jackson had the opportunity to escape rather than stab his attacker.
Jackson’s counsel, Emmanuel Ogebe, an international human rights lawyer, had, in an interview on national television, criticised the judgement of the apex court, saying the world should be alarmed by “this very unfortunate precedent.”
“This is really a sad day for Nigerians and their rights to self-defence,” he added.
