Suicide: What do survivors deserve; punishment or counselling?

The recent bill before the National Assembly which seeks to amend a section of the Criminal Code Act to provide for a lesser punishment to persons that attempt suicide would hopefully change the perception and treatment of those who attempt to kill themselves.  Generally, suicide is seen as an abomination in many societies and persons […]

The recent bill before the National Assembly which seeks to amend a section of the Criminal Code Act to provide for a lesser punishment to persons that attempt suicide would hopefully change the perception and treatment of those who attempt to kill themselves. 

Generally, suicide is seen as an abomination in many societies and persons who attempt to commit the act are ostracized instead of trying to understand and address their reasons for taking such an extreme decision. Often, this has resulted in further attempts by some of them. 

In recent times, many Nigerians have been in the news either for killing themselves or attempting to kill themselves in unexplained circumstances which leave their relatives and other Nigerians wondering about what pushed them to take their own lives or make attempts. 

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A WHO mental health report revealed that suicide is the second leading cause of death among people of 15 to 35 years in the world. 

Statistics have also indicated that 79 per cent of global suicide cases occur in low and middle-income countries and that suicides have increased by about 60 per cent in the last 45 years, making it a major health problem. 

Although there were no accurate statistics on the number of people who killed themselves or attempted to do so in Nigeria, it was an established fact that suicide is on the rise in the country. 

A recent pathetic case was that of Olalekan Odunare, who jumped into the Lagos Lagoon at Epe area in December 2021. 

A few days ago, 26-year-old Tijjani Abubakar, a resident of Gama, Brigade, in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State attempted to kill himself by drinking insecticide. 

He reportedly attempted suicide because his girlfriend dumped him and opted for a richer person. 

Chukwuemeka Akachi, a 400 level student of University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), also survived a suicide attempt in 2019 when he drank sniper, an insecticide which has become a popular substance with suicides in the country. 

Akachi was said to have survived several suicide attempts as he had taken kerosene, petrol and other substances to kill himself. 

He was said to have shown signs of depression when he wrote in a Facebook post in May 2019 that “My mental health has been on life support for a while now. Thanks to those who called, texted, visit”. 

Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act states that “Any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for one year”. 

However, a bill proposed in the House of Representatives seeks to amend this section to provide a lesser punishment by expunging the ‘imprisonment for one year’ and replacing it with ‘’compulsory counselling and community service for a period of not less than six months’.’ 

The bill if passed will now read: “Any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable to compulsory counselling and community service for a period of not less than six months.” 

According to the sponsor of the bill, Francis Ejiroghene Waive, it seeks to amend the Criminal Code Act Cap C38 LFN 2004 to provide for “a more rational punishment for the offence of attempted suicide. 

“The punishment proposed by this bill is curative, thereby making it possible for victims to be able to reintegrate into the society.” 

The lawmaker noted that suicides and attempted suicides have been on the increase in Nigeria due to several reasons and factors. 

He said a strong link had been established between suicides and mental illnesses and disorders, lamenting that suicide had continued to be treated as a crime in Nigeria. 

He said: “This means a person who survives a suicide attempt will be harassed, arrested and punished by the state with an imprisonment term of one year.” 

He said, the bill suggests that suicidal people are in need of effective treatments, counselling and assistance; not punishment. 

Waive said: “Penalising attempted suicide is hardly a prevention method; instead, the law should direct the appropriate authorities to assist the traumatised. 

“Many countries, who hitherto punished non-fatal suicidal behaviours, have since repealed or reviewed their laws. However, Nigeria still holds anyone who attempts it as criminally liable. 

“This bill suggests that suicidal people are in need of effective treatments, counselling and assistance, not punishment. 

“Self-destructive behaviour is often a cry for help since suicide is mainly an indication of underlying mental and psychological disorder. 

“The criminal laws are better suited for prosecuting criminal acts not an exhibited call for help and act of distress.”

Experts in various human behaviour and medical fields have attributed the increasing suicide on many factors which they said government should take into account and tackle the root causes. 

A medical doctor with vast clinical experience, Dr Hassan Bala Salihu, said the factors as outlined in the proposed legislation are some of the major causes of suicide. 

He said: “The cause (Aetiology) of suicide is biopsychosocial. It means it can be associated with biological components such as genetics, illness, and medication, among others.  

“It may be associated with psychological disturbances following traumatic experience in human life, for example, child abuse (which can be physical abuse, sexual abuse or neglect), rape, kidnapping, death of a loved one, etc. Social suicide may be associated with significant social unrest such as a significant loss of property, war and so on.  

“However, it is believed that 90- 95 per cent of people who commit suicide have one form of mental illness or the other; importantly, depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse and personality disorder among others.  

“Depression and drug abuse are among the leading forms of mental illness that suicide is associated with significantly. Also, economic hardship is associated with increasing suicide globally. 

“Several forms of mental illness have been associated with suicide. Those that are difficult to detect include personality disorder, paediatric depression, dysthymic disorder, among others.  

He said persons within the age group of 15 to 29 and the elderly above 65 years are at an increased risk of suicide, adding that males have higher rates of suicide. 

He added that, “The way out are preventive measures against suicide which include early detection and treatment of mental illness; limiting access to means of suicide such as pesticides, guns, certain medications; responsible report by media; education of young people on socioemotional skills and reducing stigma of mentally ill people.” 

A legal practitioner, Barrister Jaldi Muhammad, said he supports the review and reduction of penalties for a person who attempts suicide but survives as suggested by the proposed legislation. 

He, however, advised that the person should be taken to a psychologist first for good counselling and assessment, adding that the evaluation will determine the cause of the attempted suicide. 

He said: “The factors leading to suicide are being completely ignored and the person who survived is being punished and that will complicate the issue for him. 

“Taking him to prison is the first wrong step. Our prisons are in a terrible condition. Therefore, it won’t make him reflect and regret his action. 

“For the community service, the person should be attached to a worship place. If he is a Christian, he should be attached to a church, a Muslim should be sent to a mosque where they will be engaged with the clerics and they will be enlightened on the dangers of one taking their life. 

“The person should also be engaged in training for a vocation or if he has something doing before the incidence, he should be empowered to continue with his business or any craft he knows. 

“He should also be closely monitored by the Non-Custodial unit of the Nigeria Correctional Service. National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and other federal government agencies should also be involved in their training and empowerment. 

“These measures will help a lot in reducing the rate of suicide attempts in the country because most of these people become depressed as a result of family pressure and economic hardships which can easily be solved. 

“It is only depression and pressure that pushed the medical doctor who committed suicide in Lagos. So, these things need to be looked into.”