The proposed decriminalisation of attempted suicide

LAST week, the Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to decriminalising attempted suicide in Nigeria, setting December 2025 as the target date for the reform. In Nigeria, suicide survivors still face prosecution under Sections 327 and 231 of the Criminal and Penal codes. In response to this situation, the government inaugurated a National Task Force on the Decriminalisation of Attempted Suicide in October 2024. The task force chaired by Professor Cheluchi Onyemelukwe was mandated to guide Nigeria’s transition from punishment to a public health–oriented, compassionate approach.

The government’s position was revealed by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, during a press briefing to mark the 2025 World Suicide Prevention Day with the theme, “Changing the Narrative on Suicide: Creating Hope Through Action”, at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Represented on the occasion by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Ms. Daju Kachollom, Pate said: “Recognising the urgency for reform, the Federal Government took decisive action and, on the 10th of October 2024, the ministry inaugurated a national task force on the decriminalisation of attempted suicide. The taskforce has a clear target to actualise decriminalisation by December 2025, which means that we have less than four months. A government white paper on decriminalisation has been finalised to guide national policy; a draft amendment to the National Mental Health Act 2021, now the National Mental Health Act Amendment Bill 2025, has been developed. It proposes the repeal of punitive provisions in the Criminal and Penal codes and the insertion of clauses to explicitly decriminalize attempted suicide, prohibit prosecution of survivors, and provide for care and support.”

According to the minister, the draft had been adopted as the ministry’s official position and had undergone consultations with the Attorney-General of the Federation. He added: “Next, I will be presenting a memo to the Federal Executive Council for an Executive Bill on decriminalisation. Criminalising suicide attempts does not save lives. Instead, it worsens stigma, discourages people from seeking help, and adds legal punishment to personal suffering.” The minister’s views were echoed by the National Coordinator of the National Mental Health Programme, Dr. Tunde Ojo, who indicated that the government’s latest move aligns with the global best practice of treating suicide as a public health challenge rather than a crime. Hear him: “Decriminalisation will reduce stigma, encourage help-seeking, and ensure survivors can access timely interventions without fear of prosecution.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 720,000 people die from suicide annually, making it the third leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds. About 73 percent of global suicides occur in low and middle-income countries, with experts declaring that punitive laws discourage victims from seeking help while also fuelling stigma. Nigeria, which ranks seventh globally in suicide cases, has typically faced an uphill task battling suicide cases.

We believe that the step taken by the Federal Government on the vexing issue of attempted suicide is in the right direction. Whatever the logic behind the criminalisation of attempted suicide in the first place, it was evidently not sound. Much like the payment of ransom money on a relative kidnapped, suicide is not something that anyone does with joy or excitement: it is an extreme decision taken in a disturbed mental state. Unless in extreme circumstances, people will do everything they can to preserve their lives, and so taking a person who has unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide to court sounds extreme, to say the least. We believe that what such people need is counselling and reorientation. Life is not a bed of roses; it is constant struggle and factors like financial strain, ill health, extreme sorrow or even a sense of shame can cause people to take the precipitate action of trying to end their lives. Time and again, people have tried to jump off the bridge and plunge themselves into the Lagos lagoon. It is an extremely gory sight, but officials of the Lagos State government have at least commendably foiled many suicide attempts.

Just so we are clear, suicide is not to be encouraged. It is a terrible decision that solves no problem in the long run. If, for instance, a person takes their life because of indebtedness, the act does not take away the debt. On the contrary, it may even lead to the harassment of members of their immediate family. In life, there will be ups and downs but you have to keep trying. It is a fact that people killing themselves rob their family members of joy. They take a step that they think will end their misery, but which only complicates issues for their loved ones, leaving them in irreparable pain.

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People intent on suicide may think that no one is facing problems like they are but other people are actually facing worse situations. A Yoruba proverb says that if you call poor and suffering people to a meeting, you will never be able to determine who is suffering the most. This is because as one person is indicating, say, that she has not had anything to eat all day, another is dismissing her case, saying that he has not had anything to eat in the last three days. And yet another person will rise up, saying that the previous speakers are not suffering at all.

Our point, really, is that suicide is not a positive step to take. However, what people who have been rescued from suicide attempts need is intensive counselling, and then some sort of solution to the problem that drove them to try and kill themselves.  We call on stakeholders, including the media and non-governmental organisations, to give the government necessary backing in its attempt to decriminalise suicide attempts. In the same vein, care must be taken to ensure that those rescued are not left to their fate but given the necessary assistance. It is also not impossible that some people will stage fake suicide attempts as a money-making gimmick. The authorities must be eagle-eyed.