Nigeria’s Supreme Court Upholds Death Sentence for Adamawa Farmer
By Usman A Harande
In a highly controversial ruling, Nigeria’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Sunday Jackson, a 29-year-old farmer from Adamawa state. Jackson was convicted of killing a Fulani herdsman who attacked him with a knife in 2015.
According to court documents, Jackson was working on his farm when the herdsman, Buba Ardo Bawuro, entered his property with his cattle. When Jackson asked him to leave, the herdsman attacked him with a knife, stabbing him in the head and leg. Jackson managed to overpower the herdsman, taking the knife from him and stabbing him three times in the neck.
Despite Jackson’s claims of self-defense, the court found him guilty of culpable homicide punishable by death. The trial judge, Justice Fatima Ahmed Tafida, ruled that Jackson had the opportunity to escape but instead chose to fight back, leading to the herdsman’s death.
Jackson’s lawyers argued that the trial judge misinterpreted the constitution, which empowers citizens to defend themselves against violent attackers. They also pointed out that the judge took 167 days to deliver the verdict, exceeding the constitutional limit of 90 days.
The Supreme Court’s decision has sparked outrage, with many Nigerians expressing concern about the implications of the ruling on their right to self-defense.
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