The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved an amendment to the National Mental Health Act 2021 seeking to remove attempted suicide from Nigeria’s criminal laws.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday after the FEC meeting, saying the proposed amendment would now be transmitted to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.
Under the current legal framework, attempted suicide remains a criminal offence under provisions of the Criminal Code and Penal Code inherited from the colonial era. The Federal Government said the existing law can result in people experiencing mental health crises being treated as offenders rather than individuals requiring medical and psychological support.
Pate said the proposed reform is intended to shift Nigeria’s approach from punishment to care, treatment and support for people experiencing severe psychological distress.
“The idea is attempted suicide is not a crime,” the minister said.
According to Pate, the reform followed consultations involving mental health advocates, the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney-General’s office, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, a national task force and members of the National Assembly.
The minister said the government is targeting a 15 per cent reduction in suicide cases by 2030, as part of its broader mental health reforms.
The Federal Ministry of Health had previously disclosed that the process of decriminalising attempted suicide, which began with the inauguration of a national task force in 2024, had reached an advanced stage.
The proposed amendment does not yet change the law. It must first be considered and passed by the National Assembly before it can take effect.
