The Federal Government has started the next step toward removing criminal penalties for attempted suicide in Nigeria, after the Federal Executive Council backed the health ministry’s position on the issue.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Iziaq Salako said the matter would be sent to the National Assembly for the legal changes needed to complete the process. He spoke in Abuja during the 2026 World Suicide Prevention Day commemoration and was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom.
The ministry is framing the change as a public-health measure. Its position is that people in a mental-health crisis should receive care and support, not criminal punishment.
Nigeria’s current legal treatment of attempted suicide has long drawn criticism from mental-health advocates, who say it discourages people from seeking help. The new step does not by itself change the law. It starts the legislative path that would be needed before the offence is removed.
The policy push also comes as officials and health groups continue to call for better suicide-prevention services, more mental-health awareness and easier access to support for people at risk.
Sources: Vanguard, Channels Television
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