The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called for the decriminalisation of attempted suicide in Nigeria, criticising Senate President Godswill Akpabio over his reported reference to “seven virgins” during debate on a proposed suicide prevention law.
The opposition party described the remark as insensitive and potentially reinforcing religious stereotypes, arguing that suicide attempts should be treated as a mental health concern rather than a criminal offence.
The party, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also faulted Akpabio for supporting imprisonment for people who survive suicide attempts.
Akpabio made the comments during Tuesday’s Senate plenary while discussing the National Suicide Prevention Bill. In a video circulated afterwards, he was heard saying, while laughing, that “why death may be attractive to some young people is that they have seven virgins waiting for them”.
The ADC said the comment trivialised a serious issue involving human lives and called for greater sensitivity in discussions about suicide and mental health.
“We find the lurid remark made by the Senate President, Senator Akpabio, about ‘seven virgins’ particularly insensitive and disturbing,” the party said.
It added that criminalising attempted suicide was a colonial-era practice that treated people experiencing severe distress as offenders instead of individuals requiring help and support.
The party described the continued retention of such laws as “an outdated colonial relic”, arguing that Nigeria should reform its legal framework to prioritise care and prevention.
“It is shameful that, when presented with an opportunity to reform this punitive inheritance, the head of the Senate chose to champion its preservation,” the statement said.
The ADC further argued that threatening suicide survivors with imprisonment could discourage people in crisis from seeking assistance and undermine efforts to prevent suicide.
“A position that leaves a suicidal person with only the choice of death or imprisonment does not discourage suicide. It encourages it,” the party said.
The party urged lawmakers to reconsider punitive provisions on attempted suicide and adopt an approach centred on mental health care, support and prevention.
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