Foreword:
When history recalls the struggles of Nigerian farmers, the name Sunday Jackson may stand as a haunting reminder of how deeply justice, agriculture, and survival intersect in rural Nigeria. Jackson’s story, a farmer condemned to death for defending himself, is not just about law and punishment. It is about a system that has failed to protect the very hands that feed the nation. 
In 2015, on a quiet piece of farmland in Adamawa State, Jackson was attacked by an armed herdsman. Acting in self-defence, he managed to disarm his assailant. He survived, but that act of survival became his undoing. Arrested and prosecuted, he was sentenced to death by hanging; a sentence upheld by the Supreme Court in March 2025. The judgment that he “should have fled instead of fighting back” struck many Nigerians as both morally and legally unsettling.
Today, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s list of pardoned inmates notably excludes his name, the case of Sunday Jackson resonates far beyond the courtroom. It raises difficult questions about rural justice, food security, and state accountability; and exposes the hidden costs borne by Nigeria’s smallholder farmers in their daily fight for survival.
Agriculture’s fragile backbone:
Agriculture remains Nigeria’s largest employer, contributing roughly 25% of GDP and sustaining nearly 70% of rural households. Yet, behind the statistics lies a grim reality: farmers face mounting insecurity, weak institutional support, and little access to justice. The cost of farming in many parts of Northern Nigeria now includes not just seeds and fertilizers but also fear, fear of attack, displacement, or wrongful prosecution.
Every farmer forced off the land represents not only a lost livelihood but a disruption in the nation’s agricultural value chain, from production to local markets. The case of Sunday Jackson underscores this structural fragility: when justice fails at the grassroots, food systems falter at the national level.
Cost of injustice on food security:
Jackson’s ordeal exposes a silent crisis in Nigeria’s rural economy, the erosion of confidence among smallholder farmers. Insecurity and poor justice delivery have pushed many into abandoning farms or relocating to urban slums. As farming households shrink, local food supply declines, leading to inflationary pressure and heightened dependency on imports.
Economic justice, therefore, is not an abstract concept; it is the price of every meal on a Nigerian table. When a farmer’s right to life and livelihood can be so easily dismissed, agriculture becomes a perilous profession rather than a productive one.
Policy disconnect and rural neglect:
Nigeria’s agricultural transformation policies, from the Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme to the Green Imperative, often focus on production and investment. Yet, they largely ignore the security and legal protection of farmers who form the foundation of these programmes.
Sunday Jackson’s trial and continued imprisonment spotlight this disconnect. There are no structured legal-aid frameworks for rural communities, no policy mechanisms for farmer self-defence, and minimal social insurance for those impacted by violence. For a nation seeking to lift millions out of poverty through agriculture, such systemic neglect is both self-defeating and unsustainable.
The irony is stark: billions are budgeted annually for agricultural incentives, but little or nothing is invested in protecting the people who make agriculture possible.
Justice as agricultural policy tool:
Justice and food security are not separate silos, they are interdependent. A fair, functional justice system reinforces agricultural productivity by providing farmers with safety, dignity, and recourse. It gives meaning to national slogans like “Grow What You Eat” and “Feed the Nation.”
If Nigeria’s agricultural development is to be sustainable, it must embed rural justice inclusion into its policy architecture. That means ensuring local dispute resolution mechanisms, strengthening community policing, and integrating farmer protection into agricultural budgets. The right to farm is inseparable from the right to live.
Moral economy of mercy:
Beyond economics and policy, the omission of Sunday Jackson from the 2025 presidential pardon list is a moral and symbolic failure. Mercy, when guided by justice, strengthens the moral fabric of a nation. In this case, clemency would do more than free one man, it would restore faith among millions of rural Nigerians who feel abandoned by both law and leadership.
For President Tinubu’s administration, revisiting this case is an opportunity to redefine justice in a way that aligns with humanity and agricultural resilience. Pardoning Sunday Jackson would affirm that the Nigerian farmer’s life matters as much as the food he produces.
Lesson in survival and solidarity:
Sunday Jackson’s story is not isolated; it reflects the lived experiences of thousands of Nigerian farmers caught in the crossfire of insecurity and indifference. It reminds us that the struggle for justice is inseparable from the struggle for food security and sustainable livelihoods.
If Nigeria truly intends to achieve self-sufficiency in food production and rural transformation, it must begin by protecting its farmers — not punishing them for surviving.
Until then, the fields of rural Nigeria will remain fertile not just with crops, but with unanswered cries for justice.
WeekendSalvo@NaijaAgroNet with Remmy Nweke/DoP
Today, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s list of pardoned inmates notably excludes his name, the case of Sunday Jackson resonates far beyond the courtroom. It raises difficult questions about rural justice, food security, and state accountability; and exposes the hidden costs borne by Nigeria’s smallholder farmers in their daily fight for survival.
Agriculture’s fragile backbone:
Agriculture remains Nigeria’s largest employer, contributing roughly 25% of GDP and sustaining nearly 70% of rural households. Yet, behind the statistics lies a grim reality: farmers face mounting insecurity, weak institutional support, and little access to justice. The cost of farming in many parts of Northern Nigeria now includes not just seeds and fertilizers but also fear, fear of attack, displacement, or wrongful prosecution.
Every farmer forced off the land represents not only a lost livelihood but a disruption in the nation’s agricultural value chain, from production to local markets. The case of Sunday Jackson underscores this structural fragility: when justice fails at the grassroots, food systems falter at the national level.
Cost of injustice on food security:
Jackson’s ordeal exposes a silent crisis in Nigeria’s rural economy, the erosion of confidence among smallholder farmers. Insecurity and poor justice delivery have pushed many into abandoning farms or relocating to urban slums. As farming households shrink, local food supply declines, leading to inflationary pressure and heightened dependency on imports.
Economic justice, therefore, is not an abstract concept; it is the price of every meal on a Nigerian table. When a farmer’s right to life and livelihood can be so easily dismissed, agriculture becomes a perilous profession rather than a productive one.
Policy disconnect and rural neglect:
Nigeria’s agricultural transformation policies, from the Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme to the Green Imperative, often focus on production and investment. Yet, they largely ignore the security and legal protection of farmers who form the foundation of these programmes.
Sunday Jackson’s trial and continued imprisonment spotlight this disconnect. There are no structured legal-aid frameworks for rural communities, no policy mechanisms for farmer self-defence, and minimal social insurance for those impacted by violence. For a nation seeking to lift millions out of poverty through agriculture, such systemic neglect is both self-defeating and unsustainable.
The irony is stark: billions are budgeted annually for agricultural incentives, but little or nothing is invested in protecting the people who make agriculture possible.
Justice and food security are not separate silos, they are interdependent. A fair, functional justice system reinforces agricultural productivity by providing farmers with safety, dignity, and recourse. It gives meaning to national slogans like “Grow What You Eat” and “Feed the Nation.”
If Nigeria’s agricultural development is to be sustainable, it must embed rural justice inclusion into its policy architecture. That means ensuring local dispute resolution mechanisms, strengthening community policing, and integrating farmer protection into agricultural budgets. The right to farm is inseparable from the right to live.
Moral economy of mercy:
Beyond economics and policy, the omission of Sunday Jackson from the 2025 presidential pardon list is a moral and symbolic failure. Mercy, when guided by justice, strengthens the moral fabric of a nation. In this case, clemency would do more than free one man, it would restore faith among millions of rural Nigerians who feel abandoned by both law and leadership.
For President Tinubu’s administration, revisiting this case is an opportunity to redefine justice in a way that aligns with humanity and agricultural resilience. Pardoning Sunday Jackson would affirm that the Nigerian farmer’s life matters as much as the food he produces.
Lesson in survival and solidarity:
Sunday Jackson’s story is not isolated; it reflects the lived experiences of thousands of Nigerian farmers caught in the crossfire of insecurity and indifference. It reminds us that the struggle for justice is inseparable from the struggle for food security and sustainable livelihoods.
If Nigeria truly intends to achieve self-sufficiency in food production and rural transformation, it must begin by protecting its farmers — not punishing them for surviving.
Until then, the fields of rural Nigeria will remain fertile not just with crops, but with unanswered cries for justice.
WeekendSalvo@NaijaAgroNet with Remmy Nweke/DoP
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