The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved an amendment to the National Mental Health Act aimed at decriminalising attempted suicide in Nigeria. The proposed amendment will now be transmitted to the National Assembly for enactment.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed the development after Wednesday’s FEC meeting in Abuja. He said the reform is intended to shift Nigeria’s approach from punishing people in psychological distress to providing them with care, treatment and psychosocial support.
Pate said suicide remains a major public-health concern, citing World Health Organisation estimates of more than 7,000 suicide deaths annually in Nigeria and about 300,000 attempts each year. He added that more than 450,000 Nigerians require psychosocial support annually.
Why the law is being changed
Attempted suicide is currently criminalised under Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act and Section 231 of the Penal Code, provisions inherited from Nigeria’s colonial-era legal framework. The government says these provisions can discourage people experiencing psychological distress from seeking help.
Pate said the criminal provisions also conflict with the National Mental Health Act 2021, which provides for supportive care, protection and treatment for people at risk of self-harm.
The amendment was developed through collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ministry of Justice, the Attorney-General’s Office, a government task force and mental-health advocates, with support from the National Assembly.
Government sets 15% reduction target
Pate said the government hopes the reform will help reduce both attempted and completed suicides, with a target of achieving a 15% reduction by 2030.
The proposed reform therefore represents a shift in policy: people who survive suicide attempts would be treated as individuals requiring medical and psychological support rather than criminals facing prosecution.