SUICIDE: A THEOLOGICAL APPROACH. Part 1

Introduction

Suicide is defined as an act with a fatal outcome that is deliberately initiated and performed by the person in the knowledge and expectation of its fatal outcome (De Leo et al.,2004). Globally, suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds (WHO, 2025) and it is among the ten leading causes of death in most countries around the world (Bertolote, & Fleischmann, 2002). Although often considered a problem of affluence, more than seventy percent of all global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries(Bantjes et al., 2016). For every completed suicide, it is estimated that between twenty and thirty non-fatal episodes of self-harm occur or suicide attempts occur (WHO, 2025; Harmer et al., 2024). 

In Nigeria, although suicide reporting is poor, the WHO has reported high suicide estimates (17.3 per 100 000) higher than both the African and global estimates of 12.5 per 100 000 and 10.5 per 100 000 respectively (Oyetunji et al., 2021). Suicide is still an offence under Nigerian Law under both the criminal code and the penal code (used in Northern Nigeria) with stipulations of punishment including imprisonment up to one year and or the payment of a fine under the penal code (Ogunwale and Ojo, 2025). Due to this, including other sociocultural, and religious factors, suicide is underreported with many suicidal deaths shrouded in secrecy or described as accidental deaths. 

Globally, there are sustained suicide-prevention efforts at multiple levels. In a country like Nigeria, sustained theological reflection has much to contribute to these efforts.

Aim

In this paper, we will start with an overview of suicide in Yoruba ontology, examine biblical accounts of suicide, analyse the historical development of attitudes towards suicide in the history of Christian thought, then conclude with some pastoral reflections.

Suicide in Yoruba ontology

The Yoruba view of suicide is somewhat complicated. While death is seen as a creation of Olódùmarè and a certainty; the Yoruba generally distinguishes between two different types of death- a good (or natural) death and a bad one, that is unnnatural. A good death is one that happens when an individual is old and have accomplished all the recognised milestones of life-marriage, childbirth, giving children out in marriage, raising grandchildren, et cetera. Such death would also occur in a time of peace, without a prolonged debilitating illness, loss of material resources  and not via an accident. The Yoruba will describe such as a person as one who died peacefully (“fi ọwọ́ rọ orí kú”). Other types of death, of the young, from accidents, childbirth or suicides are considered bad deaths. Such deaths are called “ikú gbígbóná”.

Specifically, people who die from suicides are denied full funerary rites and public mourning is refused since such deaths are considered a taboo or an abomination. In many places, rites and rituals will be conducted to “cleanse” the land and prevent a recurrence of such. As such many people will agree that suicide is discouraged among the Yoruba, maybe even forbidden. However, this is at best a simplistic view since some forms of ritual suicides are sanctioned and even commended. Olomola (1987) in his review listed sometypes of suicides sanctioned among the Yoruba: personal suicide which could be due to feelings of injustice and completed as a form of revenge, as a desire to escape from some adverse circumstances or motivated by psychological distress. There is a distinction to be made in the latter, suicides motivated by anguish and despair are often tolerated whereas those resulting from guilt were vilified. It is these types of suicides that are denied full funerary rites and, in the past, the corpses thrown away in the cultic grove (located on the outskirts of the town and often inaccurately called the evil forest) rather than buried.

Conventional suicides were obligatory. There are three types: those who accept to die as sacrificial victims, those who accepted to die due to loyalty to a master or benefactor such as the abọbakú and those whose institution demanded their deaths such as kings who would be asked to die by suicide once rejected by their people. This practice is referred to euphemistically as “opening the calabash” (ṣíṣí igbá). A central element common to all of these suicides is the concept of honour, either personal or the collective honour of a group(Olasunkanmi 2015). The colloquial expression ikú yá ju ẹ̀sín(death before dishonour) describes such a mindset.

Due to the effects of Christian missionary work and the growth of the Christian faith among the Yoruba, many of the aforementioned cultural practices such as human sacrificial victims, dying with a master or benefactor, ritual suicides by kings, et cetera are now mostly of historical reference. Nevertheless, personal suicides in the present day as always are complex phenomena and it is not impossible that ideas of honour, agency, despair, and anguish contribute to these. 

Disclaimer

Suicide is a very sensitive topic. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out for help immediately.

In Nigeria: SURPIN (Suicide Research and Prevention initiative). 08000787746/ https://www.surpinng.com/

ASIDO Foundation: sms:+2349028080416/ tel:+2349028080416/ asidofoundation.com

MANI (Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative): https://mentallyaware.org/contact/

In other parts of the World, please contact your local mental health or emergency service providers