Taskforce Hails FG’s Proposed Bill to Decriminalise Attempted Suicide

The National Taskforce on the Decriminalisation of Attempted Suicide has welcomed the Federal Executive Council’s endorsement of the proposed amendment to Nigeria’s mental health legislation. This development, as reported by Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, marks a significant step towards aligning the country’s laws with its mental health, public health, and human rights commitments.

The chair of the Taskforce, Prof. Cheluchi Onyemelukwe, emphasized that the passage of the bill to the National Assembly for consideration is a crucial development in Nigeria’s mental health reform journey. She highlighted that the current proposal replaces Section 327 of the Criminal Code and Section 231 of the Penal Code, both of which criminalize attempted suicide. Onyemelukwe explained that these provisions were increasingly hard to reconcile with a public health approach to suicide prevention.

She urged the National Assembly to provide the necessary legislative attention to the proposed amendment, stating, “The position of the Task Force is therefore hinged on one cardinal truth; a person who survives a suicide attempt should be met first with appropriate health and psychosocial interventions, not criminal prosecution.”

Onyemelukwe clarified that decriminalisation does not diminish the state’s responsibility to protect life or the seriousness of suicide. Instead, it creates a legal environment that promotes help-seeking, early intervention, treatment, and recovery. She stressed that criminalizing the person who survives an attempt reinforces stigma and creates additional barriers to seeking help.

The National Taskforce was established by the federal government on October 10, 2024, with a mandate to engage stakeholders, raise public awareness about the need for decriminalisation, mobilize support, and develop a government-wide position on the reform.