The Federal Government has commenced moves to decriminalise attempted suicide in Nigeria, following the approval by the Federal Executive Council of the position of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on the proposed reform.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, disclosed this in Abuja during the 2026 World Suicide Prevention Day commemoration, saying the proposal would now be forwarded to the National Assembly for the required legislative process.
Salako, who was represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Daju Kachollom, said the proposed decriminalisation was aimed at changing the way Nigeria responds to people who attempt suicide, particularly those experiencing mental health crises.
He explained that such individuals should be treated primarily as people in need of medical, psychological and social support rather than as criminals deserving punishment.
According to the minister, the fear of criminal prosecution could discourage people who have attempted suicide or are experiencing suicidal thoughts from seeking timely help from health professionals, families and other support systems.
“A person experiencing a mental health crisis should be met with care, support and appropriate intervention, rather than punishment,” Salako said.
He added that removing criminal sanctions against attempted suicide could help reduce the stigma surrounding suicide attempts and create an environment where vulnerable people would be more willing to seek assistance before their conditions deteriorate.
The minister, however, cautioned that decriminalisation alone would not be enough to address suicide in Nigeria, stressing the need for a broader and coordinated approach to mental health care and suicide prevention.
He said the Federal Government would continue to strengthen mental health services, improve access to care and expand community-based interventions to ensure that people facing mental health challenges can receive support closer to where they live.
Salako also identified early identification and intervention as critical components of the government’s suicide prevention strategy, noting that timely support could help prevent people at risk from reaching a point of crisis.
He called for more open conversations about mental health, saying greater public awareness would help tackle misconceptions and stigma that often prevent people from discussing psychological distress or seeking professional assistance.
The minister said Nigeria’s response to suicide and mental health challenges was guided by several key policy instruments, including the National Mental Health Act 2021, the National Mental Health Policy 2023 and the National Suicide Prevention Strategic Framework 2023–2030.
He disclosed that the National Task Force on the Decriminalisation of Attempted Suicide had already consulted policymakers and other relevant stakeholders as part of efforts to build support for the proposed reform and prepare the ground for legislative action.
Salako said the consultations were aimed at ensuring that the proposed changes reflected the realities of Nigeria’s mental health system and provided an effective framework for protecting vulnerable people.
Speaking on the country’s suicide data, the National Coordinator, Mental Health Programme, Dr Tunde Ojo, said Nigeria continued to face challenges in obtaining comprehensive and reliable statistics on suicide and attempted suicide.
Ojo explained that gaps in available data made it difficult to establish the full scale of the problem and effectively measure trends across different parts of the country.
He said the ministry was therefore using surveys and other data-gathering mechanisms to produce more accurate and verifiable national statistics.
According to him, the ongoing efforts are expected to provide improved national data within the next year, which would in turn assist policymakers and health authorities in designing more targeted suicide prevention programmes.
Ojo stressed that reliable statistics were essential for identifying vulnerable populations, understanding the factors contributing to suicide and attempted suicide, and determining where interventions were most urgently required.
Also speaking at the event, the National Coordinator, National Action for Suicide Prevention, Dr Ade Bash, reaffirmed the government’s plan to integrate mental health services into primary healthcare.
Bash said integrating mental health support into primary healthcare would make services more accessible to Nigerians, particularly those who may be unable to reach specialised psychiatric facilities.
He also emphasised the importance of strengthening community-based interventions, noting that suicide prevention required the involvement of families, communities, healthcare workers, policymakers and other stakeholders.
The proposed decriminalisation marks a significant shift in the government’s approach to attempted suicide, moving the emphasis from punishment towards prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and support for people experiencing mental health crises.
Stakeholders at the World Suicide Prevention Day event welcomed the Federal Government’s decision and pledged to support the legislative process as well as broader efforts to strengthen mental healthcare and suicide prevention across the country.
