The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved an amendment to the National Mental Health Act aimed at removing criminal penalties for attempted suicide in Nigeria.
The Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, disclosed this while briefing journalists after the FEC meeting.
Pate described suicide as a serious public health challenge, citing World Health Organisation estimates of more than 7,000 suicide-related deaths annually in Nigeria, alongside about 300,000 reported attempts each year.
He said the continued criminalisation of attempted suicide under existing colonial-era laws, including Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act and Section 231 of the Penal Code, treats people experiencing severe psychological distress as criminals rather than individuals requiring medical and psychosocial support.
According to the minister, the existing legal framework can discourage people in crisis from seeking help and is inconsistent with the principles of the National Mental Health Act 2021, which provides for care, protection and treatment for people at risk of self-harm.
He explained that the Ministries of Health and Social Welfare and Justice had collaborated on the proposed amendment to bring the law in line with modern mental health and human-rights approaches.
With the FEC’s approval, the amendment is expected to be forwarded to the National Assembly for consideration and passage into law.
