Senate Moves to Decriminalise Attempted Suicide, Provide Treatment for Survivors

• Seeks urgent ecological funds as erosion, landslides ravage Cross River communities • Declares Kebbi insecurity, mass displacement national emergency •Passes bill to establish legal framework for Yusuf Maitama Sule University of Education Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The Senate on Tuesday advanced a bill seeking to decriminalise attempted suicide in Nigeria and provide medical treatment and continuing support for survivors, while calling for urgent federal intervention over deadly erosion and landslides in Cross River State and declaring worsening insecurity and mass displacement in Kebbi State a national emergency. The upper chamber also passed a bill sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, to provide a statutory framework for the Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, Kano. The four developments highlighted the Senate’s legislative and oversight interventions on public health, environmental disasters, national security, humanitarian relief and education. Leading debate on the bill to decriminalise attempted suicide, its sponsor, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, said the proposed legislation sought to resolve the contradiction between existing criminal laws and the National Mental Health Act, which recognises the need for medical intervention during mental health emergencies. He said the bill would replace punitive responses to suicide attempts with appropriate medical assessment, treatment and continuing support for survivors. “At the heart of this bill is a simple question. When a Nigerian survives a suicide attempt, should the first response of the state be persecution or protection?” Ekpenyong asked. The senator noted that while the National Mental Health Act recognised attempted suicide as a psychiatric emergency requiring immediate intervention, Section 327 of the Criminal Code and Section 231 of the Penal Code continued to expose survivors to criminal punishment. “Our law presently speaks with two voices,” he said, insisting that the contradiction needed to be resolved to ensure that people experiencing mental health crises received appropriate care rather than prosecution. Ekpenyong warned that criminalising attempted suicide could discourage people from seeking help, encourage families to conceal incidents and prevent health workers from reporting cases promptly. He also argued that treating suicide attempts as criminal offences could deepen the stigma surrounding mental health conditions and undermine efforts to obtain reliable data for national suicide prevention programmes. “The police station or correctional facility should not be the default destination for a person who requires urgent clinical care,” he said. The proposed legislation would establish a coordinated framework for suicide prevention, crisis response, referrals and continuing support for survivors. It would also promote public education and training for health workers, teachers, law enforcement personnel and emergency responders to help them identify warning signs and connect vulnerable people with appropriate services. Supporting the bill, Senator Adedayo Faduyile, representing Ondo South, drew on his medical experience to argue that attempted suicide should be treated as a medical emergency rather than a criminal offence. He said depression and other mental health conditions could impair a person’s judgment, making treatment and recovery more appropriate responses than punishment. “The best way to treat anybody who did not succumb to a suicide attempt is actually not to criminalise it. They need help,” Faduyile declared. He argued that placing survivors in police stations or correctional facilities would not address the underlying medical conditions responsible for their distress, stressing the need for professional care. Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, commended Ekpenyong for bringing the issue before the Senate, describing it as an important legal and public health debate that deserved broader professional and public consultation. He said the bill should proceed to further scrutiny to enable psychologists, medical practitioners and other stakeholders to contribute to a more effective national response. However, the debate raised questions about the proposed amendment’s application across states operating under different criminal justice frameworks. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele cautioned that provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act were not automatically applicable in every state, depending on the legal framework adopted by the respective Houses of Assembly. He said the Senate needed to clarify the extent to which the proposed amendment would apply nationally before proceeding further. The bill advanced through second reading for further legislative scrutiny. In a separate intervention, the Senate urged the Federal Government to approve and urgently release adequate resources from the Ecological Fund to tackle gully erosion and landslides threatening communities in Cross River South Senatorial District. The resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance moved by Ekpenyong, who identified Atakpa, Edim Otop, Ikot Effangha Mkpa, Nyaghasang, Ikot Anwatim, Nasarawa/Bacoco, Akai Effa, Bayside and Summit Hills as among the affected communities. He also warned that landslides threatened Anansa. The senator recalled that a landslide at Ikot Anwatim in July 2026 killed five people, including four siblings from the same family, destroyed two houses and injured two residents. Another landslide at Edim Otop claimed the life of an eight-year-old girl. Ekpenyong said the disasters had caused deaths, destroyed property and displaced residents, leaving affected families traumatised and struggling to rebuild their lives. He attributed the recurring incidents to poorly designed drainage systems, rapid urbanisation, blocked drains, indiscriminate waste disposal, unregulated sand mining, vegetation removal and poor land-use practices. Warning that isolated remedial projects could transfer erosion risks to neighbouring communities, he called for coordinated watershed planning and comprehensive environmental interventions. “Further delay risks additional deaths, deeper displacement and greater destruction. This emergency demands immediate mobilisation of federal resources, including the Ecological Fund,” he said. The Senate urged the Federal Ministry of Environment to work with the Cross River State Government and relevant agencies to assess dangerous locations and commence emergency protective works. It also directed the National Emergency Management Agency, the state emergency management agency and local councils to provide immediate assistance to bereaved and displaced families, including temporary shelter, food, medical care and psychosocial support. The chamber called for early-warning systems and continuous monitoring of unstable locations, while urging the Ministries of Environment and Works to prioritise erosion-control projects based on appropriate geotechnical and hydrological assessments. Senate President Godswill Akpabio mandated the Senate Committee on Environment to inspect affected locations, assess existing interventions, engage relevant agencies on funding and implementation, and report back for further legislative action. The Senate also raised the alarm over worsening insecurity and mass displacement in Kebbi State, urging the Federal Government to treat the situation as a national security and humanitarian emergency. The resolutions followed a motion moved by Senator Adamu Aliero and seconded by Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Ondo South, over deadly attacks by bandits reportedly moving into Kebbi from neighbouring states following intensified military operations. The lawmakers called on the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Air Staff and the Inspector-General of Police, working with other security and intelligence agencies, to intensify coordinated operations, improve surveillance and intelligence gathering, and deploy adequate personnel and equipment to protect vulnerable communities. They also urged the Federal Government to provide the manpower, operational logistics and financial resources needed to prevent further attacks and stop residents from being driven out of their ancestral homes. On the humanitarian situation, the Senate called on NEMA to assess the needs of displaced persons and provide food, potable water, temporary shelter, clothing, bedding, medical supplies and sanitation facilities. It further urged the Federal and Kebbi State Governments to establish a joint security and humanitarian response mechanism to coordinate emergency interventions, ensure the effective distribution of relief materials and facilitate the safe, voluntary and dignified return of displaced residents when security conditions permit. The chamber also called for thorough investigations into the killings, including the reported murder of three employees of Hitech, and urged security agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible. Lawmakers observed a minute’s silence in honour of those killed and extended their condolences to bereaved families and affected communities. Meanwhile, the Senate passed a bill sponsored by Barau to provide a statutory foundation for the Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, Kano, following the institution’s conversion from a federal college of education into a university. President Bola Tinubu approved the conversion of the Federal Colleges of Education in Kano and Zaria into federal universities of education in September 2024. He subsequently approved the renaming of the Kano institution after the late statesman Yusuf Maitama Sule on May 10, 2025, following a request by Barau on behalf of his constituents. Leading the debate on the bill, Barau said the legislation was necessary to provide the institution with the legal backing required for effective administration, management and the promotion of teacher education. “Mr Senate President, this institution has already been established by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said. Barau recalled his previous efforts in the National Assembly to upgrade federal colleges of education into full-fledged universities, noting that earlier bills passed by the Senate had not received presidential assent. He said President Tinubu subsequently approved the conversion of the Kano institution after he conveyed the aspirations of his constituents, adding that the President also granted the request to name the university after the late Maitama Sule. “We cannot thank Mr President enough. He loves Kano and has consistently acceded to our requests,” Barau said, citing other federal education projects approved for Kano State. Akpabio commended Barau for sponsoring the legislation and thanked senators for supporting its passage, expressing optimism that Tinubu would assent to the bill when transmitted to him. The proposed law is expected to provide the university with the statutory and regulatory framework needed to discharge its mandate and contribute to national development.