Akpabio Opposes Decriminalisation Of Attempted Suicide, Says Survivors Should Go To Jail

Ayomide Awe

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has opposed moves to decriminalise attempted suicide in Nigeria, insisting that people who survive suicide attempts should remain liable to imprisonment, despite the Senate passing a bill seeking to remove criminal penalties for the act through second reading.

Akpabio made his position known during Tuesday’s plenary, where he warned that removing the punishment could encourage people to attempt suicide.

“If you attempt suicide, make sure you die. Anyone who attempts and fails will go to jail,” the Senate President said.

His position contrasts with arguments by several senators who supported the proposed legislation, insisting that attempted suicide should be treated as a mental health emergency requiring medical intervention rather than criminal prosecution.

The bill, sponsored by the senator representing Cross River South, Asuquo Ekpenyong, was passed for second reading following a voice vote by senators.

It was subsequently referred to the Senate Committees on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) and Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further legislative consideration.

The proposed legislation seeks to decriminalise attempted suicide and establish a legal framework for prevention, treatment and support for survivors.

Leading the debate, Ekpenyong said Nigeria’s existing criminal laws were inconsistent with the National Mental Health Act, 2021, which recognises attempted suicide as a psychiatric emergency requiring appropriate medical attention.

He noted that Section 327 of the Criminal Code and Section 231 of the Penal Code prescribe penalties for attempted suicide, creating a conflict between the criminal justice system and the country’s mental healthcare framework.

According to him, the proposed legislation would replace punitive measures with medical assessment, treatment and sustained support for people who survive suicide attempts.

The senator warned that criminalising attempted suicide could discourage affected individuals from seeking medical assistance, compel families to conceal such incidents and prevent healthcare professionals from reporting cases promptly.

He also argued that the existing law could worsen the stigma surrounding mental health conditions and undermine efforts to obtain reliable data needed to develop effective suicide prevention programmes.

Several lawmakers who participated in the debate supported the bill, arguing that suicide attempts should be addressed through healthcare services rather than imprisonment.

The senator representing Ondo South, Dayo Faduyile, a medical doctor, said people who survived suicide attempts needed professional help and should not be treated as criminals.

He explained that depression and other mental health conditions could impair an individual’s judgment, making medical intervention and recovery more appropriate responses than punishment.

Faduyile also warned that some people who survived suicide attempts had subsequently died by suicide while in detention, stressing that police custody or imprisonment could not adequately address the underlying conditions that might have contributed to their actions.

“The best way to treat anybody who did not succumb to a suicide attempt is actually not to criminalise it. They need help,” he said.

Similarly, the senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi, argued that suicide attempts were often associated with mental health challenges and required medical intervention instead of punitive treatment.

However, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele raised concerns about the nationwide applicability of the proposed amendments.