Nigeria’s leading DNA testing centre, Smart DNA Nigeria, in its reports, has revealed that one in every four Nigerian men, who undergo paternity testing, is not the biological father of the child in question, underscoring a persistent paternity crisis and deepening trust issues within Nigerian families.
The company’s 2025 Annual DNA Testing Report, which covers the period from July 2024 to June 2025, disclosed that 25 percent of paternity tests conducted between July 2024 and June 2025 showed that the presumed fathers were not biologically related to the children in question.
According to the report, though this was slightly lower than 2024’s 27 percent, the figure highlights what the firm calls a “worrying and consistent trend”.
“These findings are not just about science. They tell us something profound about trust, relationships, and the legal and economic realities of Nigerian families today,” the report said.
According to the operations manager, Smart DNA, Elizabeth Digia: “Our role is to provide certainty through accurate testing while encouraging sensitive handling of the life-changing information our clients receive.”
The report said that firstborn children, especially sons, were significantly more likely to have negative paternity test results, with firstborn boys recording a staggering 64 percent exclusion rate, far higher than later-born siblings.
It also indicated that immigration-related DNA testing surged to 13.1 percent of all tests, a direct result of Nigeria’s escalating emigration wave, popularly dubbed the ‘Japa’ phenomenon. This marks a sharp increase from previous years as more families seek documentation for foreign relocation.
“Many of our clients are dual-citizenship families processing DNA documentation for children, often as part of long-term emigration plans,” the report said.
Another key finding was that 88.2 percent of all paternity tests were initiated by men, with only 11.8 percent coming from women. Older men, particularly those aged 41 and above, accounted for nearly half (45.5 percent) of all tests, suggesting financial stability plays a major role in initiating paternity verification.
Children between the ages of zero and five made up the majority of those tested, at 58.6 percent, up from 54 percent in the previous year.
According to analysts, this shows a growing trend of parents seeking early clarity to avoid future complications.
A vast majority, 83.7 percent, of DNA tests were done for “peace of mind” rather than legal requirements, with court-mandated tests accounting for just 1.4 percent. The gender of tested children also revealed cultural leanings: 53.8 percent were male, pointing to continued emphasis on verifying male lineage for reasons possibly linked to inheritance and family name preservation.
The report calls for urgent legal reform, noting that Nigeria lacks specific laws addressing paternity fraud, unlike countries such as South Africa. It also recommends that public health policies integrate DNA testing into family planning and premarital counselling frameworks.
