The Senate has passed for second reading a bill seeking to establish a national framework for suicide prevention, decriminalize attempted suicide and provide rehabilitation for survivors, despite opposed from the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who insisted that attempted suicide should still attract a jail term.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong representing Cross River South, seeks to addressed what he described as contradiction in Nigeria’s laws.
Ekpenyong argued that while National Mental Health Act recognises attempted suicide as psychiatric emergency requiring treatment, Section 327 of the Criminal Code and Section 231 of the Penal Code still criminalise the act.
He said decriminalisation without accessibility care would be incomplete, stressing that suicide has complex causes and requires humane, health-focused response.
“At the heart of this bill is a simple question: when a Nigerian survives a suicide attempt, should the first response of the state be prosecution or protection?”, he asked.
The senator said criminalisation discourages people from seeking help, forces families to conceal suicide attempts and contributes to poor data on the problem.
He warned that continued punishment could create a situation in which people experiencing distress feel compelled to ensure their attempts are fatal to prosecution.
The bill proposes replacing imprisonment with mandatory assessment, referral, treatment and follow-up support. It also provides for crises helplines, training for police officers, teachers and health workers, public education and a national data system for suicide prevention.
However, Akpabio maintained that attempted suicide should remain a criminal offence, arguing that removing the penalty could encourage the act.
He added that the matter involved both the Criminal Code and Penal Code and would require input from state Houses of Assembly during public hearing to avoid legal conflicts.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Health for further legislative consideration and a public hearing.
“If you attempt suicide, make sure you die. Anyone who attempts and fails will go to jail”, the Senate President said.
-9News Nigeria.
