The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned Senate President Godswill Akpabio following his controversial remarks during a Senate debate on a bill seeking to decriminalize attempted suicide.
The opposition party rejected Akpabio’s stance advocating for imprisonment for suicide survivors and criticized his reported comment linking suicidal thoughts to beliefs about “seven virgins” in the afterlife.
During the legislative session on Tuesday, Senate President Akpabio argued that attempted suicide should remain a punishable criminal offense, insisting that removing penal consequences would encourage more people to attempt taking their lives.
He further suggested that some individuals contemplate suicide due to religious misconceptions regarding post-mortem rewards. Reacting on Wednesday, the ADC characterized the Senate President’s comments as an insensitive trivialization of mental health challenges faced by millions of citizens.
The party warned that threatening individuals in extreme psychological distress with jail terms would alienate vulnerable citizens and discourage them from seeking critical medical and psychological aid.
“Mr. Akpabio, when a Nigerian attempts suicide and survives, the question should not be how many years that person deserves in prison. It should be what drove that person to despair and how society can help them recover,” the party stated.
“A position that leaves a suicidal person with only the choice of death or imprisonment does not discourage suicide; it encourages it. A cry for help must never become an invitation to punishment.”
The ADC called on the National Assembly to embrace a progressive, health-centered approach that replaces penal sanctions with structured psychiatric care, counseling, and institutional mental health support frameworks.
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