Experts argue that law criminalising suicide attempts is cruel.

Revision of the law criminalising suicide attempts is necessary to promote suicide prevention in Nigeria, as prominent psychiatrists and community health specialists have called for it to be cruel and callous.

They mentioned that Nigeria was one of the 25 nations in the world where it was illegal to attempt suicide, emphasising that neither Nigeria nor the African continent had such a rule.

The Nigeria Suicide Prevention Advocacy Working Group organised a webinar on Saturday with Professor Taiwo Sheikh as the host, during which the experts discussed their perspectives on "Community Mobilisation for Suicide Prevention."

Suicide claims the lives of 700–800 people annually, or one life every 40 seconds, making it the tenth most common cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation.

Within Nigeria, the Criminal Code Section 327 states that: “Any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanour, and is liable to imprisonment for one year” while Section 231 of the Penal Code states, “Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offence, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine or with both.”
It was recently revealed by Delta State Police Public Relations Officer Bright Edafe that attempted suicide remains a criminal crime in Nigeria.

Responding to criticism on social media about the arrest of an Abuja man who tried suicide, Edafe said, "Well, the law does not have a place for pity or emotions, the law is clear, suicide itself is not an offence, but an attempted suicide is an offence that attracts one year of imprisonment if found guilty."

The regulation does not appear to acknowledge or address the societal drivers of suicide, according to Sheikh, a psychiatry professor.

According to the don, over 80% of suicide-related deaths worldwide occur in low- and middle-income nations. He denounced the high suicide rates that are currently occurring throughout the African continent.

"The average suicide rate in Africa at the moment is higher than the average rate worldwide. Additionally, the average rate of youth suicide in Africa is significantly greater than the rate of youth suicide deaths worldwide.

Suicide is the fourth most common cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 29 worldwide. In that age group, it is the second most common cause of death in Africa, with an average of 15.4 deaths per 100,000 people.

"In the continent of Africa, male suicide is the highest in the world. We average about 18 per 100,000 people on the continent of Africa. So we can see that suicide is a huge risk,” he said.
The proponent of altering Africa's approach to mental health and suicide prevention went on to say that around 25 nations in the globe currently have laws that criminalise suicide attempts, and another 20 to 25 countries likely have laws that do not make it clear if suicide is a crime or not.

But it undoubtedly has an impact on how people respond to suicide attempts as well. The Commonwealth region of countries comprises the majority of these 25 countries that continue to criminalise suicide. Of those, eleven are located on the African continent. One of the 11 nations where suicide attempts are still illegal is Nigeria.

The don made a vehement plea for the creation of a compassionate, all-encompassing legislation that would address the socioeconomic determinants of suicide and reform the current legislation.

"That law does not acknowledge the preventability of suicide. That law doesn't seem to address the societal factors of suicide in any manner, nor does it acknowledge their existence. That legislation is harsh; it lacks sympathy. Sheikh said, "It is imperative that we consider how to eradicate that statute from our history.

The significance of community mobilisation in suicide prevention in Nigeria was underscored by Obiageli Emelumadu, a professor of community medicine at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Anambra State, during her lecture.

She emphasised the importance of these initiatives for raising awareness, reducing stigma, and establishing support systems that can help prevent suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
It also entails cultivating connections, encouraging dialogue, and making use of resources to solve problems. Financial, material, and human resources are examples of resources found in communities. so that problems pertaining to the community's well-being are addressed. They can customise it to meet particular community requirements, which can result in sustained support and influence, according to Emelumadu.

The Don said, citing data on the suicide rate in the UK, that interpersonal troubles, substance misuse, and mental health disorders were the main factors.

Substance misuse, violence, conflict, and mental health issues are the main causes of mental health crises in Nigeria, she continued.

The expert in community medicine recommended stepping up lobbying efforts, bolstering mental health care, and increasing advocacy.

She also underlined the necessity of engaging the media, community leaders, and members to achieve meaningful progress in suicide prevention.

She stated that although the advent of the internet has brought about a convergence between traditional and social media, the mainstream media was suitable for the positioning of awareness since it provided ethical reporting.
Further criticising the paucity of coverage on mental health, Onwuzoo claimed that many journalists were ignorant of the problems related to mental health.

"Thanks to media coverage, the stigma associated with HIV has diminished from its previous extreme. The COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 raised concerns about vaccination, which the media cleared up by dispelling myths and dispelling conspiracy theories. Therefore, the media will prioritise suicide prevention when they use the same strategy.

However, that wouldn't occur unless the relevant parties interact with the media. Since it is still a one-off, we don't currently have that level of interaction and collaboration. It is usually on World Mental Health Day that we hear about mental health.
The editor remarked, "The media is a powerful tool; we have the capacity, resources, and wherewithal, but we need that engagement."

She called on interested parties to involve the media in advocacy visits to media outlets, training sessions, and workshops in order to encourage greater national coverage of mental health concerns.