‘I Love Islam’: Akpabio Defends Remarks on Suicide Prevention Bill

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended his controversial remarks during deliberations on the Suicide Prevention Bill 2026, insisting that he has nothing against Islam and has supported Muslim pilgrimages for more than two decades.

Akpabio made the clarification during Thursday’s plenary session, following criticism of comments he made on Tuesday while lawmakers considered the bill sponsored by Asuquo Ekpenyong, senator representing Cross River South.

During the debate, the Senate president had said some young people contemplate suicide because they believe “seven virgins await them in the afterlife”. The remark drew criticism from commentators who accused him of making disparaging comments about Islam.

Responding to the backlash, Akpabio said discussions in the Senate should be understood within their proper context rather than portrayed as attacks on particular religious groups.

“I love the Muslim religion. I send people to Mecca to pray for me and to pray for this country, and I do that even up to yesterday, and I have been doing that since the last 25 years,” he said.

He expressed concern that comments made during legislative debates were being misrepresented on television programmes for political purposes.

“I don’t like the idea of people sitting down on television and trying to misinterpret what we discuss here in the Senate,” he said, adding that lawmakers were expected to disagree on some issues while cooperating on others in the course of making laws.

Akpabio also cited his record of supporting religious pilgrimages, saying he sponsored 5,800 Muslims to the holy land and more than 10,000 Christians to Rome and Jerusalem while serving as governor.

He further pointed to his longstanding relationships with Muslim colleagues and aides as evidence that he harbours no hostility towards the religion.

“My ADC for 19 years is a Muslim. I don’t recognise him as a Muslim. I recognise him as a brother; he’s from Azare in Bauchi State, the same thing with my CSO,” he said.

The Senate president added that more than 65 per cent of the people working with him were Muslims.

“There’s no way I will talk down on Muslim religion, so people who go out there to talk should study the personalities involved,” he said.

Akpabio also argued that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, insisting that perpetrators of suicide bombings should not use religious beliefs to justify violence against themselves or others.

“Terrorists are not Muslims. Terrorists are not Christians. Terrorists are human beings who believe in taking their lives and the lives of others,” he said.

He maintained that Islam prohibits suicide and the killing of innocent people, rejecting the suggestion that the religion teaches that those who take their own lives are guaranteed entry into paradise.

The Senate president also referred to the Criminal Code and Penal Code, which he said address suicide as a criminal offence. He urged lawmakers and the public to distinguish between people experiencing mental health challenges and those who deliberately take their lives.

Akpabio called on Nigerians to consider the overall context of legislative proceedings and the decisions ultimately reached by the Senate rather than focus exclusively on isolated remarks made during debates.

“No matter the discussion, please take the final decision of the Senate into consideration,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to focus political discourse on substantive issues rather than attempts to damage individuals’ reputations through the misrepresentation of their statements.