Pastor William Devlin isn’t just talking about faith—he’s living it.
The 72-year-old missions pastor from New York has made an extraordinary offer: to give his own life in exchange for Sunday Jackson, a Nigerian Christian farmer sentenced to death for defending himself during an attack on his land.
Devlin’s reason is clear and unwavering.
“My relationship with Jesus Messiah demands that I offer myself up for Sunday Jackson, much as Jesus Messiah offered Himself up for me,” he said.
As reported by The Christian Post, Jackson’s nightmare began in 2015 when a Fulani herdsman, Buba Ardo Bawuro, led his animals onto Jackson’s farm, destroying his crops. When Jackson confronted him, Bawuro allegedly pulled a knife. Jackson defended himself, killing his attacker.
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For this, the Nigerian Supreme Court upheld a death sentence against him earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Fulani herdsmen and Islamic extremist groups have killed thousands of Nigerian Christians over the years, often without consequences.
/**/The 2025 Global Christian Relief Red List reports nearly 10,000 Nigerian Christians have been murdered by groups like Boko Haram and armed Fulani militants in just the past two years. Yet, justice for these crimes is almost nonexistent.
Pastor Devlin, who leads the nonprofit charities REDEEM! and Widows & Orphans, has been fighting for Jackson’s clemency since 2021, when Justice Fatima Ahmed Tafida, a Muslim, first sentenced him to death. If those efforts fail, Devlin says he is ready to take Jackson’s place. “If I can save that man’s life, and they take my life, then I’m willing to do it,” he said.
The double standard is impossible to ignore. Jackson faces execution for self-defense, while radical herdsmen and terrorists slaughter Christian farmers and families with impunity. U.S. lawmakers are taking notice, pushing to have Nigeria redesignated as a “Country of Particular Concern” due to its horrific record on religious freedom.
Bishop Wilfred Anagbe testified before Congress about a “long-term, Islamic agenda” aimed at eradicating Christians from Nigeria through targeted killings, land seizures and systematic exclusion from power.
Devlin’s willingness to lay down his life is a powerful testament to Christian selflessness. But it should also be a wake-up call. If an American pastor is ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for a brother in Christ, then the global Christian community must stand up, not only for Jackson but for the thousands of others who suffer in silence.
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
