The Federal Government has approved a major policy shift that will decriminalise attempted suicide in Nigeria, signalling a move away from punishment towards treatment, care and support for people in psychological distress.

The decision followed deliberations by the Federal Executive Council, which endorsed an amendment to the National Mental Health Act. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the proposed changes will be forwarded to the National Assembly as an executive bill for legislative action.

Pate explained that the reform is designed to end the application of colonial-era provisions that classify attempted suicide as a criminal offence. Under the current legal framework, Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act and Section 231 of the Penal Code prescribe penalties for individuals who survive suicide attempts, exposing vulnerable people to arrest, prosecution and possible imprisonment.

The minister argued that such provisions are out of step with contemporary understanding of mental health and run contrary to the spirit of the National Mental Health Act, which emphasises treatment, protection and supportive care for people at risk of self-harm.

He stressed that attempted suicide should be recognised primarily as a public health and mental health challenge, not a crime. According to World Health Organisation estimates cited by Pate, Nigeria records more than 7,000 suicide deaths every year, with about 300,000 attempts annually, underscoring the scale of the crisis and the need for a compassionate response.

Pate said criminalisation discourages people from seeking help, fuels stigma and drives those in distress further into isolation. By contrast, decriminalisation would allow health workers, families and communities to intervene earlier and more effectively, offering counselling, medical care and psychosocial support instead of police action and court appearances.

He likened the current legal approach to punishing someone for having an illness, insisting that mental health conditions should be treated with the same urgency and empathy as physical ailments. The proposed amendment, he added, is intended to “change the paradigm” so that people who attempt self-harm are seen first as patients in need of care.

The move aligns Nigeria with a growing global trend in which countries are repealing laws that criminalise suicide attempts and are integrating suicide prevention into broader mental health and public health strategies.