Senate advances bill to decriminalise attempted suicide

The Senate on Tuesday passed for second reading a bill seeking to decriminalise attempted suicide and establish a national framework for prevention and rehabilitation.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South), seeks to address inconsistencies in Nigerian laws, under which the National Mental Health Act treats attempted suicide as a psychiatric emergency requiring treatment, while Section 327 of the Criminal Code and Section 231 of the Penal Code criminalise the act.
Leading the debate, Ekpenyong said criminalisation discourages people from seeking help, forces families to conceal suicide attempts and distorts data. He warned that it could push distressed per...