Suicide attempt to be decriminalized
Nigeria records about 300,000 suicide attempts annually, with at least 7,000 deaths.
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Nigeria records about 300,000 suicide attempts annually, with at least 7,000 deaths.
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LAGOS, Nigeria (AFP) — Nigeria plans to decriminalize attempted suicide as authorities grapple with a severe shortage of mental health professionals, the health minister said.
Attempted suicide remains a criminal offense in Nigeria, punishable by up to one year in prison under the colonial-era Criminal Code, while the Penal Code provides for up to one-year imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Health Minister Ali Pate told journalists on Wednesday that the government would send a bill to the national assembly to push forward with the plan.
“As you all know, suicide is a major public health concern in Nigeria,” Pate said. “The idea is attempted suicide is not a crime.”
Nigeria records about 300,000 suicide attempts annually, with at least 7,000 deaths, Pate said, citing World Health Organization figures.
He said criminalizing attempted suicide “discourages help-seeking behaviors and also conflicts with our national mental health policy.”
Africa’s most populous country faces a severe shortage of mental health professionals, with fewer than 1,000 psychiatrists serving more than 200 million people, according to figures from the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria from 2024.
Mental health issues remain widely stigmatized.
