More human rights groups have criticized the judgment of the Supreme Court upholding the death sentence on Adamawa farmer Sunday Jackson, describing it as a miscarriage of justice.

Ngozi Molokwu, Chief Executive Officer of Injustice Is Real, condemned the judgment, arguing that the prosecution failed to prove the murder charge beyond reasonable doubt.

Centre for Human and Socioeconomic Rights Chief Executive Officer, Alex Omotehinse, also expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court verdict, saying it signals the loss of “hope for the common man.”

The apex court on March 7 upheld the death sentence of Jackson, a man in his 30s, for killing a Fulani herdsman Ardo Bawuro during an altercation on his farmland about seven years ago.

Jackson said he was working on his farm when Bawuro attacked him with a knife, but that he overpowered the assailant in a counter-attack that led to his death.

An Adamawa High Court ruled in 2021 that Jackson had the opportunity to escape rather than stab his attacker, and sentenced him to death, a decision the Supreme Court upheld.

Jackson has appealed to Adamawa Governor Ahmadu Fintiri for clemency, arguing that he killed the herdsman in self-defence.

The appeal is supported by international human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe, a Nigerian-American based in Washington, and by a petition signed at the last count by 1,583 persons.

Molokwu told The PUNCH that “I am deeply saddened by the case of the herdsman and the farmer, and I want to use this opportunity to urge the judiciary to revisit this case.

“Has reasonable doubt been proved here? Has the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the farmer was guilty of murder? They relied on his confession; A confession that the police officer took.

“The police officer who was with him when he made the statement, what was the caution he gave the farmer? Did he read him his rights?

“The law says beyond a reasonable doubt. There is doubt as to the caution that was given to the farmer. He could have signed the statement under duress.”

Omotehinse said: “This is a clear miscarriage of justice. Jackson should not have been charged with murder – this was a case of self-defence. At the very least, it should have been considered manslaughter.

“Reports indicate that the herder stabbed him twice, and Jackson managed to retrieve the same knife to defend himself, which ultimately led to the herder’s death.

“Everyone is aware of the ongoing clashes between farmers and herders where, in most cases, it is the farmers who are killed. This is one of the rare instances in recent years where a farmer managed to defend himself and survive by overpowering his attacker.

“Now, we hear that the Supreme Court has upheld the rulings of both the High Court and the Court of Appeal. This clearly shows that our judiciary is no longer the last hope of the common man.”

Clashes between herders and farmers are frequent in Nigeria, particularly in the North East where Adamawa is located.

In a single night in November 2017, more than 27 people were killed in a violent confrontation between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Safere and Kodomti villages, in Numan Council of the state. Police confirmed that most of the victims were women and children.

The online petition reads:

20 year old student Sunday Jackson was farming to support his wife & daughter when he was violently attacked by a Fulani herdsman with a knife. Despite injuries he sustained, Jackson struggled with his attacker wresting the weapon from him and struck back following which his attacker died. 

After being in pretrial detention for seven years, with evidence showing that Jackson was stabbed in his leg, the trial court sentenced him to death on the rationale that he ought to have run after disarming the herdsman. Regrettably, the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence on March 7 and he is now to be executed by hanging.

Now in his early 30’s, Jackson has a 10-year-old daughter born months after his imprisonment whom he has never seen and may never see.

Please sign this petition to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Governor of Adamawa state to grant clemency to Sunday Jackson. #SelfDefenseisNotaCrime.