The Nigerian Senate has advanced a bill seeking to decriminalize attempted suicide, despite vocal opposition from Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who insisted that survivors of self-harm should face imprisonment under existing criminal laws.
The legislative debate occurred during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Abuja, following the second reading of a bill designed to shift Nigeria’s legal approach from punishing suicide survivors with jail terms to providing medical intervention, psychological counseling, and rehabilitation.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, aims to align the nation’s Criminal Code and Penal Code with the National Mental Health Act.
Ekpenyong argued before the chamber that individuals driven to self-harm suffer from severe mental health crises and require specialized care rather than incarceration in correctional facilities.
However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio strongly opposed the proposed policy shift during the floor proceedings, arguing that removing criminal penalties would eliminate deterrence and lead to an increase in suicide attempts.”As far as we are concerned, we are saying that suicide is a crime for now.
Therefore, if you attempt it, you better succeed. If you don’t succeed, we will send you to prison. If you attempt it and don’t succeed, we will jail you. So, if you attempt it, you better succeed,” Akpabio declared during deliberations.
Despite the Senate President’s explicit opposition to decriminalization, the bill successfully passed its second reading on the floor.
To proceed to the next legislative phase, the Senate referred the draft law to the joint Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, as well as Health, for detailed public hearings and further committee scrutiny before returning to the full chamber for final consideration.
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