Akpabio endorses jail term for suicide attempts
Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday insisted that Nigerians who survive suicide attempts should face imprisonment... The post Akpabio endorses jail term for suicide attempts appeared first on Tribune Online.
Under Nigeria's Criminal Code, attempting suicide is still classified as a misdemeanour punishable by up to one year in prison, a colonial-era provision that mental health advocates and rights groups have long campaigned to repeal. Critics argue the law discourages people in crisis from seeking help and compounds the stigma around depression and mental illness in a country with limited access to psychiatric care and counselling services.
The remarks attributed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio have reignited this long-running debate, with reactions splitting along lines familiar to the decriminalisation campaign: those who see attempted suicide as a criminal or moral failing deserving sanction, and mental health and legal advocates who insist survivors need treatment, not punishment. Pelumi Olajengbesi's public rebuttal, reported separately by Punch and Leadership, frames the dispute as one between a senior lawmaker's stance and expert opinion favouring reform, though it remains unclear whether Akpabio's comments reflect a personal view or signal any shift in the Senate's broader legislative stance on the issue.