Nigeria's federal government has announced plans to decriminalise attempted suicide, a move that would overturn a colonial-era law that currently treats people in acute psychological distress as criminals rather than patients in need of care. Health Minister Ali Pate said a proposed amendment to the National Mental Health Act will be submitted to the National Assembly for enactment, marking a significant shift in how Africa's most populous nation — home to more than 200 million people — approaches mental health crises.

Under Nigeria's existing Criminal Code and Penal Code, both rooted in British colonial legislation, a person who survives a suicide attempt can face up to one year in prison, a fine, or both. Nigeria is far from alone in retaining such laws: many former British colonies adopted the colonial penal code after independence, even as Britain itself repealed its own equivalent legislation in the 1960s. Pate said the current framework was counterproductive, arguing that criminalising attempted suicide "discourages help-seeking behaviours" and directly conflicts with Nigeria's own national mental health policy.

The scale of the problem is stark. Citing World Health Organization data, Pate said Nigeria records approximately 300,000 suicide attempts each year, resulting in at least 7,000 deaths. The proposed reform sets a concrete target: reducing suicide deaths and attempts by 15 per cent by 2030. The challenge is compounded by a severe shortage of mental health professionals — fewer than 1,000 psychiatrists are available to serve the entire country, a ratio that falls drastically short of international standards. Mental health conditions remain heavily stigmatised across much of Nigerian society, further deterring people from seeking help.

The reform matters because the threat of prosecution is widely seen as a barrier that prevents vulnerable people from accessing the care they need at the moment of greatest risk. By reclassifying attempted suicide as a public health issue rather than a criminal act, the government aims to bring survivors into treatment pathways instead of courtrooms. Advocates and health professionals have long argued that punishment deepens trauma and increases the likelihood of future attempts, making decriminalisation a critical first step — even if it must be followed by sustained investment in mental health services to have lasting impact.