The Federal Government of Nigeria has revealed its plans to de-criminalise attempted suicide in the country.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammed Pate, had made this disclosure on Thursday in Abuja during a news conference to mark the 2024 World Suicide Prevention Day.
The commemoration is celebrated worldwide on September 10 every year. The theme for 2024 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”.
In the Nigerian constitution, suicide is a criminal offense but recently, there have been several calls by stakeholders to decriminalise it.
The Constitution captured under Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act, states “Any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for one year.”
However, the ministry recently launched the National Suicide Strategic Framework (2023-2030) to promote mental health and help prevent of suicide.
The ministry represented by its Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, had said that he document identified the risk and protective factors associated with suicide in Nigeria, adding that it also identified the strategic objectives, interventions, and indicators for suicide prevention, in line with international best practices.
According to the minister the available data on suicide in Nigeria revealed that it was put at 12.9 per 100,000 people -a high figure.
It was also revealed that suicide rates were high among young people aged 15 to 29 years, making it the fourth leading cause of death in the age group in Africa, accounting for 40 percent of all suicide deaths.
He, however, said that the statistics may not fully reveal the true pervasiveness of suicide in Africa, as all the reporting and stigma surrounding mental health issues remain huge barriers to accurate reporting.
