AKPABIO AND THE SUICIDE BILL

Mental illness is a medical condition which is treatable

The opposition of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to the move to decriminalise attempted suicide is quite unfortunate. Although the Senate passed the Suicide Prevention Bill 2026, sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, for a second reading, Akpabio insisted that survivors should be jailed. The bill seeks to decriminalise attempted suicide and provide survivors with medical treatment, rehabilitation, and psychological support. “As far as we are concerned, we are saying that suicide is a crime for now,” Akpabio said at plenary. “Therefore, if you attempt it, you better succeed. If you don’t succeed, we will send you to prison.”

Following Akpabio’s remark, the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN) warned that threatening suicide attempt survivors with imprisonment could deepen stigma and discourage people experiencing mental health crises from seeking help. According to the APN, a person who survives a suicide attempt should be treated as someone experiencing severe psychological distress and requiring urgent medical attention, not punishment. “The appropriate response is urgent medical care, compassionate assessment, treatment, safety planning and follow-up—not a threat of imprisonment,” the APN said.

The Ekpenyong bill proposes crisis helplines, public awareness programmes, training for police officers, teachers and health workers, and a national data system to strengthen suicide prevention. It also seeks to address what its sponsor described as inconsistencies between the National Mental Health Act, which recognises attempted suicide as a psychiatric emergency requiring intervention, and provisions of the Criminal Code and Penal Code that criminalise the act. After scaling a second reading last Tuesday, it was referred to the Senate Committees on Judiciary and Health for further legislative action, including a public hearing. Although Akpabio has said his position does not necessarily represent that of the Senate, it is still nonetheless unfortunate.

Since depression, according to experts, is one of the commonest reasons why people commit suicide, we should not criminalise what is no more than a medical condition. Indeed, changing the narrative on suicide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “is about transforming how we perceive this complex issue and shifting from a culture of silence and stigma to one of openness, understanding, and support.”

Instructively, only two months ago in August, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a proposal to amend the National Mental Health Act with the aim of removing criminal penalties for attempted suicide, officially shifting Nigeria’s legal framework from punishment to care and psychological support. Currently, both Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act (Southern Nigeria) and Section 231 of the Penal Code (Northern Nigeria) criminalise suicide attempts. Medical practitioners under the aegis of the Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria, (SOFPON) have for years been raising concerns about the growing number of Nigerians living with depression, a major risk factor for suicide. Besides, the nation’s present socio-economic environment has been a predisposing factor to depression and perhaps suicide. Therefore, to successfully deal with this problem of suicides, there is an urgent need to address the issue of stigma. On that score, we endorse the Ekpenyong bill and urge the National Assembly to expedite action on its passage.

Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. Like diabetes and heart disease, it is a medical condition which is treatable. Many people with mental health illness return to a productive and fulfilling life after promptly seeking help. But the country is not doing enough to tackle this public health emergency, and it is responsible for the growing cases of suicides. Stemming the tide requires a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach involving various government ministries, agencies, and departments (MDAs), especially that of health, labour and employment, and social services. But it must begin with an amendment to the existing laws still in operation in Nigeria that criminalise a serious health challenge.