Sunday Jackson, a farmer from Adamawa State, Nigeria, has been granted a state pardon by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri after spending 11 years on death row for killing a Fulani herder in self-defense. Jackson was sentenced to death in 2021 for fatally stabbing Ardo Bawuro, who had attacked him on his farm in 2015.

The pardon, announced on Tuesday, is part of the governor's Christmas and New Year celebrations, and also includes two other inmates, Joseph Eugene and Maxwell Ibrahim. Governor Fintiri cited Jackson's good conduct while in custody and recommendations from the Adamawa State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy as reasons for the pardon.

Jackson's case sparked national and international outrage, with many arguing that he was justified in defending himself against the herder's attack. The U.S. Congress had even referenced his case as an example of human rights concerns in Nigeria.

Human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe hailed the pardon as a "long-overdue correction of injustice" and a reaffirmation of the right to self-defense. Jackson's release brings relief to his family and supporters after years of advocacy.