The decision was reached at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the proposed amendment to the National Mental Health Act would be forwarded to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill.
Pate said the reform was aimed at ending the application of colonial-era laws that classify attempted suicide as a criminal offence.
Under the proposed framework, attempted suicide would be treated primarily as a public health and mental health concern requiring professional intervention rather than punishment.
According to the minister, suicide accounts for more than 7,000 deaths annually in Nigeria, while an estimated 300,000 suicide attempts are recorded across the country each year, based on World Health Organisation statistics.
Despite the scale of the problem, Pate noted that attempted suicide remains a criminal offence under Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act and Section 231 of the Penal Code.
He said the existing laws could discourage people experiencing severe psychological distress from seeking help, as they may fear being treated as offenders instead of receiving the care they need.
“The idea is that attempting suicide is not a crime,” Pate said, explaining that the proposed reform would introduce a more compassionate and treatment-oriented approach.
He added that individuals who attempt to take their own lives should be regarded as people in need of medical and psychosocial support.
“So it’s changing the paradigm to one whereby they require care and support,” the minister said.
The proposed amendment will now require consideration and passage by the National Assembly before it can become law.
The move represents a significant shift in Nigeria’s approach to mental health, with the Federal Government seeking to replace punitive provisions with a system focused on treatment, protection and support for people experiencing psychological distress.
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