One in four Nigerian children is not fathered by the man believed to be their biological parent according to report.
Nigeria’s foremost DNA testing centre, Smart DNA made the revelation in its 2025 Annual DNA Testing Report.
The report, released on Sunday in Lagos, shows that Nigeria’s paternity exclusion rate stands at 25 per cent, meaning one out of every four presumed fathers tested is not the biological father of the child.
Though slightly lower than the 27 per cent recorded in 2024, the figure underscores the persistence of paternity disputes in Nigerian homes.
Beyond paternity cases, the report also highlighted a sharp rise in immigration-related DNA testing, which climbed to 13.1 per cent of all cases recorded between July 2024 and June 2025.
Smart DNA linked the increase to families seeking documentation for relocation abroad under the country’s ongoing “Japa” wave.
“The increase reflects the growing number of dual-citizenship families securing foreign papers for their children, often as ‘second passport’ insurance,” the centre noted.
The findings further revealed that firstborn children are most affected by paternity discrepancies, with firstborn sons accounting for 64 per cent of negative results. The report also pointed to a gender divide in test initiations, with men requesting nearly 90 percent of paternity tests compared to just 11.8 percent initiated by women.
Smart DNA’s Operations Manager, Elizabeth Digia, called for urgent interventions through legal reform, healthcare integration, and public education.
“Nigeria lacks specific paternity fraud laws, unlike South Africa, leaving men with little legal recourse after years of financial responsibility for children proven not to be theirs,” she said.
She added that DNA testing should be integrated into family health programmes and premarital counselling, stressing that public misconceptions continue to fuel mistrust.
“Many believe DNA testing is only for wealthy families or assume physical resemblance guarantees paternity. Our role is to provide certainty through accurate testing while encouraging sensitive handling of this life-changing information,” she added.
According to Smart DNA, the 2025 data paints a troubling picture of family trust, identity, and the socio-economic pressures shaping Nigerian households today.
