LAGOS
Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved amendments to the National Mental Health Act to decriminalise attempted suicide, in a move aimed at treating people at risk of self-harm as patients rather than offenders.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, announced the decision after Wednesday’s FEC meeting at the State House.
Pate said the proposed reform would repeal Sections 327 and 231 of the Criminal and Penal Codes, which criminalise attempted suicide under colonial-era laws.
He said the existing laws discourage people experiencing psychological distress from seeking help and are inconsistent with the National Mental Health Act 2021, which provides for care, protection and treatment of people at risk of self-harm.
“Attempting suicide is not a crime,” Pate said, arguing that people who attempt to harm themselves because of mental illness require care and support rather than prosecution.
The proposed amendment will now be transmitted to the National Assembly for consideration and enactment.
Pate said the reform followed a resolution by the House of Representatives, after which a task force involving the Ministries of Health and Justice and mental health advocates was established to draft the amendment.
The government is targeting a 15% reduction in suicide deaths and attempts by 2030.
According to figures cited by Pate from the World Health Organisation (WHO), suicide accounts for more than 7,000 deaths annually in Nigeria, while an estimated 300,000 suicide attempts are recorded each year.
Pate said more than 450,000 Nigerians require psychosocial support annually, adding that the reform was intended to encourage people at risk to seek timely help.
Globally, suicide is among the leading causes of death among young people.
