Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has rejected a legislative move to decriminalise attempted suicide in Nigeria, insisting that the act must remain an offence under the law and warning that removing criminal sanctions would send a wrong signal to society. Akpabio made his position known during plenary on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, while contributing to debate on a bill seeking to amend the Criminal Code Act and the Penal Code Act to remove the offence of attempted suicide from Nigerian law.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Anthony Agbo, representing Benue South Senatorial District, sought to amend the relevant provisions of the Criminal Code and the Penal Code to decriminalise attempted suicide and reclassify it as a public health issue rather than a criminal offence. Agbo argued that criminalising suicide attempts discouraged individuals from seeking help, pushed the issue underground and failed to address the underlying mental health challenges that drove people to attempt to take their own lives. He said the criminal justice system was not the appropriate mechanism for responding to what he described as a public health crisis, and urged the Senate to align Nigeria with global best practices that treat attempted suicide as a mental health emergency rather than a crime.
But Akpabio was having none of it. The Senate President said the bill should not be considered, saying some people may decide to end their lives because they are unwilling to face the consequences of their actions. "If somebody attempted suicide because he killed somebody, will that be considered a mental illness? The person tried to kill himself because he killed somebody. So it is not necessarily mental illness. We should be careful. If we now decriminalise it, some people will commit crimes and then attempt suicide," he said. Akpabio argued that attempted suicide could be a calculated act by individuals seeking to escape criminal liability rather than a symptom of mental illness. He said the Senate should not take a decision that could encourage impunity and undermine the criminal justice system.
The position taken by the Senate President appeared to reflect the views of the majority of senators present, and the bill's prospects of progressing were effectively extinguished by his intervention. The debate reflected a broader tension in Nigeria's legal and health policy landscape between those who argue that criminalisation deters help-seeking and those who believe that decriminalisation could weaken moral standards and encourage the act.
Attempted suicide is a criminal offence in Nigeria under Section 327 of the Criminal Code, which applies in the southern states, and Section 327 of the Penal Code, which applies in the northern states. Both laws provide that any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for one year. The provisions have been criticised by mental health professionals and human rights organisations, who argue that they are inconsistent with international standards and with the recognition of suicide as a public health issue rather than a crime. The World Health Organization has consistently urged countries to decriminalise suicide, noting that criminalisation can deter individuals from seeking mental health services and lead to underreporting of suicide attempts.
The debate in the Senate comes amid growing national conversation about mental health in Nigeria, a country with fewer than 300 psychiatrists for a population of more than 200 million people. The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has repeatedly raised concerns about the burden of mental illness and the shortage of mental health professionals. The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has acknowledged the gap and announced plans to expand mental health services, but implementation has been slow and uneven.
The Catholic Church in Nigeria has intervened in the debate, urging the government to uphold the criminalisation of attempted suicide and describing it as consistent with the sanctity of human life. The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria said the law serves as a deterrent and a reminder of the value of human life. Mental health advocates countered that criminalisation is a punitive approach to a treatable condition and that decriminalisation, coupled with investment in mental health services, would save lives.
The political context of the debate is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is seeking a second term on the All Progressives Congress platform, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, former Anambra Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement are among the major challengers. Social policy issues such as mental health have featured in the campaign conversation, and the Senate's decision will be noted by mental health advocates who have consistently argued that Nigeria's legal framework should reflect modern understanding of suicide and mental illness.
For Nigerians who have attempted suicide or who struggle with suicidal thoughts, the criminalisation of the act remains a significant barrier to seeking help, as many fear arrest and prosecution. For the Senate, the debate reflects the difficulty of balancing moral, legal and public health considerations in a complex and deeply sensitive area. For Akpabio, the decision to block the bill was a matter of principle, rooted in the belief that the law must retain its deterrent function. The coming months will determine whether the bill is reintroduced, whether the conversation around decriminalisation continues, and whether Nigeria eventually joins the growing list of countries that have removed criminal penalties for attempted suicide and replaced them with investment in mental health support. For now, attempted suicide remains a crime in Nigeria, and the law has been affirmed by the Senate President, whose word in the chamber was decisive.
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