The National Assembly has been urged to swiftly pass the proposed amendment seeking to decriminalise attempted suicide in Nigeria, following the Federal Executive Council’s approval of the bill for transmission to the legislature.
Public Relations and Public Affairs Specialist, Olutayo Irantiola, made the call, saying the proposed reform would mark a significant shift from treating attempted suicide as a criminal matter to addressing it as a mental health and public health concern.
Irantiola said Nigeria’s commitment to transitioning away from punitive suicide laws was reinforced at the 80th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Political Declaration Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, where the country reaffirmed its commitment to expanding access to mental health services.
He noted that despite the enactment of the National Mental Health Act in 2022 and the subsequent development of the National Suicide Prevention Strategic Framework 2023–2030, attempted suicide remains criminalised under existing provisions of the Criminal Code and Penal Code.
According to him, Section 327 of the Criminal Code applicable in southern Nigeria and Section 231 of the Penal Code applicable in northern Nigeria prescribe criminal penalties for unsuccessful suicide attempts.
He argued that criminalisation could discourage people experiencing severe psychological distress from seeking help for fear of arrest, prosecution and social stigma.
Irantiola said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, established the National Taskforce on the Decriminalisation of Attempted Suicide in October 2024 to develop a pathway for legal reform.
The taskforce, chaired by Professor Cheluchi Onyemelukwe, conducted stakeholder engagements involving government agencies, professional associations, civil society organisations, religious leaders and people with lived experience, among others.
He said the consultations helped address concerns that decriminalisation could undermine suicide prevention, with the taskforce concluding that people experiencing suicidal distress require intervention, medical care and psychosocial support rather than criminal punishment.
Irantiola said the taskforce subsequently identified a focused executive amendment bill as the most viable route to repeal the provisions criminalising attempted suicide.
The reform received a major boost on August 21, 2026, when the Federal Executive Council approved the proposed amendment bill for transmission to the National Assembly.
According to him, the approval represents a major milestone but does not complete the legislative process, as the proposed amendment must still be considered and passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives before it can become law.
He said decriminalisation would enable survivors of suicide attempts to seek medical and psychological support without fear of prosecution, while also improving the collection of reliable data needed for effective suicide prevention planning and healthcare resource allocation.
Irantiola stressed that Nigeria already has the institutional framework for suicide prevention through the National Mental Health Act, National Mental Health Policy and National Suicide Prevention Strategic Framework, arguing that the proposed amendment would provide the necessary legal alignment.
He therefore urged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and relevant committees in both chambers to prioritise and fast-track consideration of the bill.
He said the National Assembly had an opportunity to complete years of policy development and stakeholder engagement by ensuring that attempted suicide is no longer treated as a criminal offence.
Irantiola said the passage of the amendment would demonstrate Nigeria’s recognition of mental distress as a health issue requiring compassion, intervention and access to care, while reinforcing the country’s commitment to its international mental health obligations.