The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved an amendment to the National Mental Health Act designed to decriminalise attempted suicide in Nigeria.
Briefing State House correspondents in Abuja following Wednesday’s council meeting, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, stated that the policy shift aims to reduce suicide incidents and attempts by 15 per cent by 2030.
Currently, attempted suicide remains penalised under colonial-era laws, specifically Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act and Section 231 of the Penal Code, which treat individuals in psychological distress as criminals rather than patients requiring medical intervention.
Minister Pate noted that these punitive statutes actively discourage vulnerable citizens from seeking assistance, creating a direct conflict with the supportive care framework outlined in the National Mental Health Act 2021.
According to World Health Organisation metrics cited by the minister, Nigeria records over 7,000 suicide deaths and roughly 300,000 suicide attempts annually. Furthermore, more than 450,000 Nigerians require psychosocial intervention each year, with suicide ranking as the third leading cause of death globally among young people.
The proposed legal revision was formulated following a House of Representatives resolution, extensive consultations with mental health advocates, and collaborative work involving the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and an inter-agency task force. The executive bill will now be transmitted to the National Assembly for legislative enactment.
Reflecting on the rationale behind the reform, Pate stated the necessity of shifting the state’s paradigm towards compassionate, health-centred care.
“Attempting suicide is not a crime. If someone, because of mental health illness, attempts to harm themselves within the context of those colonial-era laws, you can arrest them and prosecute them for breaking the law,” Pate explained.
“But these are people that are actually ill. It’s like getting somebody who has tuberculosis and asking, ‘Why did you have tuberculosis?’ So it’s changing the paradigm to one whereby they require care and support,” he added.
“After extensive deliberation, including by mental health advocates, there was consensus to actually make this amendment, and with the Attorney-General’s Office, the Ministry of Justice, ourselves, and the task force that was set up, in fact, with the support of the National Assembly, we think this bill will make a major difference from a public health perspective and help us deal with the burden of mental ill health that afflicts many Nigerians,” the minister said.
“Hopefully, that will reduce episodes of suicides that are successful or even attempted. Our goal is to reduce by 15 per cent by 2030,” Pate concluded.