An American pastor, William Devlin, is offering his life in exchange for a Nigerian Christian, Sunday Jackson, who has been sentenced to death by hanging for killing a Fulani herdsman in self-defense during an attack on his farm.
Devlin, the missions pastor of Infinity Bible Church in the South Bronx, New York, voiced his support for Jackson after the Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld the farmer's death sentence on March 7.
Devlin expressed his emotions during a press conference in Nigeria following the court's decision, stating, “I was just filled with emotion. I said to the press, 'My relationship with Jesus Messiah demands that I offer myself up for Sunday Jackson, much as Jesus Messiah offered Himself up for me.’”
The pastor, who is 72 years old, emphasized, “God has blessed me with a great life. If I can save that man's life, and they take my life, then I'm willing to do it.”
As the volunteer CEO of the nonprofit charities REDEEM! and Widows & Orphans, Devlin has spent years advocating for persecuted Christians globally. He has been involved in Jackson's case since 2021, the year Justice Fatima Ahmed Tafida sentenced the farmer to death.
This ruling followed an incident in 2015 when a Fulani herder, Buba Ardo Bawuro, allegedly threatened Jackson with a knife.
Jackson states that he was working on his farm in Numan when Bawuro herded his animals onto Jackson's property, allowing them to graze on his crops. He claims that when he confronted Bawuro about this situation, the herdsman attacked and injured him, but Jackson ultimately managed to overpower and kill Bawuro.
During the initial trial in 2021, the Adamawa High Court judge interpreted the law to indicate that Jackson should have fled instead of defending himself, resulting in his death sentence, a ruling recently upheld by Nigeria's Supreme Court.
Devlin, alongside various Christian leaders, is advocating for clemency in Jackson's case while making it clear that he is willing to die in Jackson’s place should their efforts fail.
“I see it as obedience to the Scripture,” he stated. “Jesus Messiah did it for me. He went to the cross, and I have a new life because of that. So why wouldn't I do that for someone else?”
Leaders from the Christian Association of Nigeria are also calling on Adamawa Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to grant Jackson a pardon.
The violence between radicalized herders and predominantly Christian farming communities in Nigeria has resulted in thousands of deaths over the past decade, leading some to claim that the situation has reached a level of “genocide,” a claim the Nigerian government disputes.
Additionally, Christian advocates often express concern that violent attacks on their communities in Muslim-majority northern Nigeria seldom lead to prosecution, with attackers rarely held accountable.
On this issue, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives recently held a congressional hearing titled “Conflict and Persecution in Nigeria: The Case for a CPC Designation.” Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who is the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, urged the Biden administration to redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
