Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Executive Council has approved a landmark amendment to the National Mental Health Act to decriminalise attempted suicide in Nigeria, finally dismantling colonial-era provisions that have for decades treated psychological distress as a criminal offence rather than a public health crisis. The amendment, which will be transmitted to the National Assembly as an executive bill, seeks to replace punishment with treatment, care and support for persons who attempt self-harm, marking a fundamental shift in Nigeria's approach to mental health.
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed the development while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. Pate explained that attempted suicide remains criminalised under Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act and Section 231 of the Penal Code, provisions inherited from colonial-era laws that treat survivors of suicide attempts as offenders rather than patients requiring medical and psychological intervention.
"Suicide is a major public health concern in Nigeria, as well as several other countries," Pate said, citing World Health Organisation statistics that indicate more than 7,000 deaths annually and an estimated 300,000 suicide attempts across the country each year. He stressed that the existing legal framework discourages help-seeking behaviour and creates an inconsistency with the National Mental Health Act 2021, which already provides for supportive care, protection and treatment for individuals at risk of self-harm.
"The idea is attempted suicide is not a crime," Pate declared, explaining that the reform would change the prevailing approach to one that recognises persons attempting self-harm as requiring medical and psychosocial support. He likened the current approach to punishing a person for suffering from an illness, arguing that mental health conditions should receive the same compassionate, treatment-oriented response as other health conditions. "It's changing the paradigm to one whereby they require care and support," he said.
The amendment followed extensive consultations involving the Ministries of Health and Social Welfare and Justice, mental health advocates, the Attorney-General's Office, a task force and the National Assembly. A task force had been set up following a resolution of the House of Representatives, which worked with the relevant ministries towards the amendment of the Mental Health Act. The Federal Government hopes the reform will contribute to reducing both attempted suicides and completed suicides, with a target of cutting the incidence by 15 per cent by 2030. Pate said the reform, when enacted, would help Nigeria tackle the growing burden of mental ill-health and remove legal barriers that discourage vulnerable people from seeking professional assistance.
In a separate but equally significant decision, the Council also approved the National Centre for Oral Health Establishment Bill 2026 for transmission to the National Assembly, to strengthen oral health services, research and training. The proposed centre would provide a national referral and research institution while establishing a comprehensive legal and institutional framework for addressing oral diseases and related conditions. The Council further approved major infrastructure upgrades at the National Hospital, Abuja, including an administrative block for N18.74 million, modular clinics and theatre complex for N64.92 billion, a high-end wing for N103 billion and a Neuroscience Institute for N69 billion. The Council also approved N302.3 billion for the design, construction and equipping of a National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment Centre, with a completion period of 36 months.
For decades, Nigerians who survived suicide attempts faced the prospect of imprisonment rather than medical care, a cruel irony that compounded their trauma and discouraged countless others from seeking help. The FEC's approval of the amendment brings Nigeria into alignment with global best practices that recognise suicide as a public health issue, not a crime. The amendment now awaits consideration and passage by the National Assembly, but the message from the Federal Executive Council is unmistakable: the era of punishing people for their pain is finally coming to an end.
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