The Senate has passed for second reading a bill seeking to decriminalise attempted suicide and replace punitive measures with medical treatment and psychological support for survivors.
The legislation, sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, aims to align existing laws with the National Mental Health Act, which treats suicide attempts as mental health emergencies requiring urgent intervention.
Leading debate on the bill, Ekpenyong argued that individuals who survive suicide attempts should receive professional care rather than criminal prosecution.
“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 persecution or protection?” he asked.
The senator noted that current provisions of the Criminal and Penal Codes contradict modern mental health legislation by exposing survivors to prosecution.
He warned that criminal sanctions discourage people from seeking help and contribute to stigma surrounding mental health conditions.
Supporting the legislation, Senator Adedayo Faduyile said suicide attempts often result from depression or other mental illnesses and should be treated as medical emergencies.
“The best way to treat anybody who did not succumb to a suicide attempt is actually not to criminalise it. They need help,” he said.
The Senate referred the bill for further legislative scrutiny.
In separate resolutions, lawmakers called for urgent federal intervention to address deadly erosion and landslides in Cross River State and declared worsening insecurity and mass displacement in Kebbi State a national emergency.
The Senate also passed a bill establishing a statutory framework for the Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, Kano, following its conversion from a federal college of education.
