According to a report by Channels Television, a fresh wave of international attention has been drawn to Nigeria’s justice system as US Congressman Riley Moore publicly called on the Nigerian government to reconsider the case of Sunday Jackson, a man currently on death row for what the congressman describes as an act of self-defence.
Moore made the appeal during a congressional briefing on global human rights, where Nigeria’s rising insecurity and controversial prosecutions came under scrutiny.
According to Moore, the circumstances surrounding Jackson’s conviction raise serious concerns about fairness, context, and the duty of any government to protect its citizens.
“The Nigerian government should take a look at pardoning Sunday Jackson, who’s in prison facing the death penalty for defending himself,” he said firmly.
His remark immediately stirred debate among human rights advocates, diaspora organisations, and legal observers.
Moore explained that Jackson was reportedly caught in an attack by violent armed groups and acted to save his own life and the lives of others, yet now faces execution.
He stressed that no citizen should be punished for trying to survive when abandoned by the very authorities meant to protect them.
“If the state cannot provide security, it must not criminalise self-preservation,” he added.
The congressman warned that cases like Jackson’s deepen public distrust in the Nigerian justice system and highlight a broader failure to hold actual perpetrators accountable.
He urged the Nigerian government to review the case urgently, consider a presidential pardon, and ensure that justice is guided by context, not rigid punishment.
Human rights groups have echoed Moore’s call, arguing that Jackson’s sentence reflects systemic gaps in policing and prosecution, especially in regions ravaged by banditry and communal violence. View, More,
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