AUN's Assistant Professor of Law, Dr. Jennifer H. Mike, has advocated the decriminalization of attempted suicide in the country.
"Research has shown that there's a strong link between suicide and mental illness. However, it continues to be treated as a crime in Nigeria," she submitted at the School of Law seminar held on November 8, 2019.
The seminar investigates the implication of prosecuting suicide attempt survivors from the dual jeopardy of an offense and a mental health issue.
The case of Chukwuemeka Akachi's suicide motivated Dr. Mike to make further research on the causes of suicide and why it's on the rise.
"The late Akachi was a first-class English major at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He left several messages on Facebook concerning his state of depression before he finally committed suicide."
Other countries no longer treat attempted suicide as a crime because there are lots of medical and psychological factors attached to it.
Dr. Mike believes that the law will be harsh to punish a person who is already embittered and has found life unbearable.
She affirmed that abject poverty, severe medical conditions, frustration, and stigmatization from rejection in the society are other socioeconomic factors that may lead to suicide, attempted suicide, and euthanasia (ending life as a result of severe pain).
A third-year Law major, Clinton Oguejiofor, also agreed that attempted suicide should be decriminalized because there's no assurance of punished victims not going back to it after they are released.
"This presentation brings it out to the society that the law needs to preserve life beyond the way it is done now."
The seminar critically examined the crime of attempted suicide in Nigeria as it relates to the Mental Health Bill of 2003. The goal of the presentation was to provide insights into the mental health legislation to push for support and rehabilitation of survivors of attempted suicide.
Reported by Rofiat Adekunle