“Failed Suicide Attempt Must Lead to Prison,” Akpabio Tells Senator

clear and consistent standard under which no Nigerian is treated as a a patient in one jurisdiction and prosecuted as an offender in another In conclusion, Mr. President, esteemed colleagues, this bill does Not suggest that decriminalization alone will prevent every suicide. Suicide has complex causes. and requires a coordinated response across health, education, justice, social welfare, law enforcement, and the broader community. What the law can determine is whether a person in crisis hides out of fear. of arrest or reaches out with confidence that help is available. I therefore urge this 10th Senate to support the second reading. on this bill and affirm a clear national principle. Nigerians in psychological crisis should be met with care and protection, along with a credible path to recovery. I hereby submit. When you carefully go through this bill проблемы You have the intention of the bill. What this bill is drawing our attention to, how do you criminalize suicide without First, understand what it is all about? Why should the Senate President decide to hang himself? Why should Abdul Ningi decide to take his own life? There must be inherent mental issues connected. to the personality attempting suicide. Due to these mental health issues that have not been addressed by the law, This bill is saying, can we please save lives? First, by ensuring that those who attempt suicide are not criminalized in the sense that they have no reason to take their own lives. Suicide occurs all over the world; people take their own lives all over the world. And in most developed societies, where a suicidal personality is observed, like in Britain, like in Germany, like in the Netherlands That personality is not being regarded as a criminal in the first place. You know the sweetness of life But you also know the hardships of life You know how life teaches human beings Some can handle it, others cannot. The fact that some can endure it, while others cannot The fact that some cannot comply, Some are unable to face the hardships of life as a challenge. Does not make that person a criminal What this bill aims to do is to call for public debate. like all legislation that passes through this chamber. This is our understanding, and this is what this bill aims to achieve. spark a national debate. Ask people about their ideas, call the psychologists, the doctors. Because we have heard from a medical doctor who says more often than No, not every time someone commits suicide, trace the history. of that person, you could see some social and societal problems that have been embedded in that person for a very considerable time. And it usually takes only a few minutes, then you go. So making that issue a criminal offense is at the heart of this bill. I believe, Mr. President, I believe, in the end, taking this idea to the general public for a very serious purpose, a comprehensive, professional debate will provide the Senate added leverage for something that has have been in place for a very long time, but all of a sudden, A member of the Senate has brought it to the forefront as legislation. I think it's good that we allow this bill to go to a second reading. and begin to ask the general public, The professionals, what is this idea all about? And at the end of the day, the Senate will be commended. in order to ensure that by introducing this bill, The Senate saves lives, and we are trying to save lives. Thank you, Mr. President. What are you doing? With some passion, attention to some of the major issues which is raised by this particular bill. It is supposed to amend certain sections. of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. Now, that particular act seeks to harmonize the criminal justice system in the country by reconciling what is in the penal code which applies to northern Nigeria And the criminal court system which applies in the southern part of the country But it's not, it's national legislation. But that legislation only applies if the Houses of Assembly of the states adopt it Houses of Assembly of the states that choose not to adopt the Criminal Justice Act Will still remain either the criminal law or the penal justice act So even if we amend that Criminal Justice Act now It will apply only to FCT. It will not have the kind of national base. You lawyers know this better than anyone else Unless the amendments are adopted by the houses of assembly of the states So before we proceed with truly addressing this particular matter, sir It is better for us to have an understanding of what we are doing. What we are doing is not a universal amendment. that will affect all the states of the federation It will only affect FCT. unless the Houses of Assembly of the states also adopt the same Thank you, Mr. President. Well, leader, esteemed members I want to support this bill because those of us who have been practicing medicine, we understand that suicide As it is, it is a medical condition. Actually, there is no man. Who would want to willingly end their own life? What usually causes suicide is a case in which we refer to depression And those who are depressed are sometimes unaware of what they want to do or what they are doing And those who have gone through the period of not dying during suicide can tell us that it is a decision that occurs within 10 to 15 minutes before the attempted suicide. The law has granted it in such a manner that no man has a right to take the lives of others as well as his own life And that was the basis for criminalizing attempted suicide. But now, the medical condition depression and other diseases have come to the forefront to show that it is not a deliberate act on the part of those individuals who attempt suicide And it is important that those who attempted suicide are not just doing because they just want to try it—they actually want to die We have heard of many cases in which we have people in detention as well as in prison who had have also gone ahead and killed themselves in this suicide mission. So, the best way to treat anyone who did not succumb to a suicide attempt is actually not to criminalize it. They need help, and getting them into detention, either in prison or at the police station won't help their case. I want to wholeheartedly support the bill. as moved by Distinguished Senator Asukwo and call it high time we corrected the criminalization of attempted suicide so that anyone suffering from that medical condition receives proper treatment and we can have a country where we can receive good medical treatment Thank you, Mr. President, for granting me this opportunity. Okay, okay. The leader made proper submissions there. But just to mention, whenever a bill comes up for second reading, Let us always refer to the Senate Standing Orders 2026. with regard to Section 79, which states that upon the order on the second reading of a bill being read, A motion may be made that the bill be now read a second time. A debate may arise concerning the general merits and principles of the bill. It doesn't actually require a second. It does not require a seconding. You just go ahead and present. And then from there, we go ahead and debate. Having concluded this debate, I would like to ask the Senate, Those in favor of the bill being now read a second time, say Aye. Those against say nay. The motion carries. You can see how important it is; nobody wants anyone to commit suicide. But I know someone, come on, Senator, Senator D'Souza, Are you speaking to Senator Fadahunsi? I wanted to ask him whether he wants people to commit suicide or not. But I wouldn't ask you again. Do you want to say something? We have rules, we have rules, so don't say it. I know your opinion. So he came here to ask me, saying, "You don't want people to die again." So I said, I don't want people to commit suicide. But if you have to commit suicide, do it instantly. If you fail, you will go to prison. Having thus done so, we hereby refer this bill to two committees. One committee on judiciary and legal matters, and the other committee, the Committee on Health, secondary and tertiary, so that they can look at it together. So, and then, because it's going to make extremely interesting public debates So, the clerk of the Senate, go ahead and do justice. on it by the judiciary, human rights, and legal matters, and also health, due to the mental health aspects involved. But, read the second reading of the bill. Mr. President, distinguished Senators, a bill for an act to establish a framework for suicide prevention, decriminalize attempted suicide and provide for the rehabilitation of individuals who attempt suicide, and for related matters 2026, SB 730. Second reading. The Senate College has a bill for an act to establish a framework. for suicide prevention, decriminalize attempted suicide and provide for the rehabilitation of individuals who attempt suicide, and for later matters, 2026, second reading taken, and referred to the two committees mentioned earlier. Senator Asukwa, while I thank you for this, I want you It should be noted that attempting suicide is a criminal offense. So this one you're saying we should decriminalize it, When you decriminalize something, it is no longer a crime. Do you understand what I'm saying? No one should attempt suicide. If you try and fail, we will send you to prison. That way of thinking is what leads to suicide, The efficacy of suicide has increased. Because it's a moral hazard If you survive a suicide attempt, you go to jail. You go to court, you are tried, and you are sent to prison. So those who intend to commit suicide actually ensure that they kill themselves That they die So we are trying to prevent that. You are trying to prevent them from succeeding. Yes So that they don't go to prison No sir, the fact that you can go to jail and go to prison for attempting and surviving suicide ensures that the person who attempted suicide will do everything in his power to ensure that he kills himself. But that's exactly what we are saying now, that as far as we are concerned, We are saying that suicide is a crime at present. Ah, for now. And therefore, if you attempt it, you'd better succeed. If you don't succeed, we will send you to prison. Yes, but I believe this 10th Senate should attempt it. and then fail, come back, and be rehabilitated. We believe that this 10th Senate has looked beyond the past. and will follow in line with other countries. We are not yet at the public hearing, but we can already see what is happening. Yes. He is saying that anyone who attempts it should go ahead and attempt it. and not die and come back, there will be rehabilitation for the person. It goes beyond that, sir. The stigma attached to it. So what I'm telling you is, if you try it and don't succeed, We're sending you to prison. For now. For now. But we believe these ten senators will change. and decriminalize their attempts. It's a mental health issue. Your Excellency, it is a mental health issue. We don't want people to attempt, but we don't want those who are gone. and decide to try to become criminalized now. Let's help them recover. Thank you. Senator Zukwa, because Senator Nyingi was praising you too much, the two serious, highly ranked senators from the House from 1999 to 2031 191, 192, one of them 92, they've come up and said I should let you know, I should go and look at section 327 of the Criminal_instruction, and also examine section 231 of the Penal Code, that those two have received adequate provisions, you know, and that they ought to be amended alongside. So when you are attending the public hearing, Do you do that so that the houses or assemblies will be carried along? Because if they are not carried along, that they will still be sent to jail if they attempt it and fail. And what you are saying, what you are saying is that if they are tempted and they do not succeed, that we should rather send them off and get jollof rice at a rehabilitation center. Rehabilitation, sir. Mental rehabilitation, sir. No, we are the ones who have the mental health issue. That is why we included the Select Committee on Health. It's a mental health issue. It's from a mental perspective. But there are some people who just want to die. Sir, all the doctors here agree. that this is a mental health issue. Sir, at the public hearing, I think it will form... Senator Ibisagwa, I should also remind you that why their debt may be very attractive For some young people, it's that they have some vegetables waiting for them.