In its 2025 Annual DNA Testing Report released this week, the Lagos-based genetic testing company disclosed that 25 per cent of paternity tests conducted between July 2024 and June 2025 showed that the presumed fathers were not biologically related to the children in question.

Though slightly lower than 2024’s 27 per cent, 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,” said Operations Manager at 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 noted that firstborn children, especially sons, were significantly more likely to have negative paternity test results, with firstborn boys recording a staggering 64 per cent exclusion rate, far higher than later-born siblings.

It also revealed that immigration-related DNA testing surged to 13.1 per cent 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 noted.

Another key finding was that 88.2 per cent of all paternity tests were initiated by men, with only 11.8 per cent coming from women. Older men, particularly those aged 41 and above, accounted for nearly half (45.5 per cent) of all tests, suggesting financial stability plays a major role in initiating paternity verification.

Children between ages 0 and 5 made up the majority of those tested, at 58.6 per cent, up from 54 per cent in the previous year.

According to analysts, this shows a growing trend of parents seeking early clarity to avoid future complications.

While Lagos State still accounted for the bulk of DNA testing (69 per cent), the report shows a shift in demand from the Mainland to the Island. Lekki (20.3 per cent), Yaba (15.8 per cent), Ajah and Ikorodu (10.5 per cent each), and Surulere and Ikeja (9 per cent each) ranked as top testing hubs.

Ethnic distribution of clients showed a continued dominance by Yoruba families (53 per cent), followed by Igbo (31.3 per cent).

Hausa participation remained minimal at 1.2 per cent, suggesting significant cultural differences in attitudes toward paternity testing.

A vast majority—83.7 per cent—of DNA tests were done for “peace of mind” rather than legal requirements, with court-mandated tests accounting for just 1.4 per cent.

The gender of tested children also revealed cultural leanings: 53.8 per cent 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 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.

“We’re seeing more people come forward with doubts they’ve harboured for years,” Digia said. “Some of these cases involve emotional trauma and even financial exploitation. A policy framework is overdue.”

Smart DNA emphasised that its report is based on anonymised data from real cases and does not represent the general population. “Our figures reflect those who already had reason to question paternity, and as such, the results should not be extrapolated to all Nigerian families,” the firm explained.

Source: Vanguardngr.com

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In a strongly worded statement shared on social media, Spending expressed shock and disappointment at the claims, describing them as “false and damaging.”

“I’ve been seeing several bloggers insinuating I’m Liam’s father. This is not a joke for real. To set the record straight, I’m not his father, and I never had any affectionate relationship with his mother. Y’all need to stop spreading these false narratives. I’m happy to have a DNA done if required,” he wrote.

His response follows weeks of online speculation surrounding Mohbad’s family, particularly unresolved questions about the late singer’s death and the paternity of his son.

While multiple individuals have been wrongly linked to the child, Mohbad’s widow, Wunmi, has maintained that Liam is indeed the product of her marriage to the late singer. She has also expressed her willingness to undergo a DNA test to end the speculation once and for all.

]]> https://www.adomonline.com/my-husband-took-paternity-test-out-of-the-blue-hes-not-the-dad-but-i-never-cheated/ Tue, 26 Jul 2022 10:33:13 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=2142064 When it comes to relationships, trust can be so hard to win back after it has been lost – and without trust, your partnership is likely to crumble.

One woman claims to have recently found her marriage on the rocks after discovering her partner had gone behind her back to take a paternity test as he wasn’t convinced he was their daughter’s true father.

The test results came back negative, shattering his trust in his wife as he accused her of cheating.

However, the unnamed wife is adamant she has never been unfaithful to him and he is the only possible father of the five-year-old girl.

The mum revealed all in a jaw-dropping Reddit post that has gone viral – being read out on TikTok and YouTube.

Writing on Reddit’s Relationships forum, she said: “My husband got a paternity test on our daughter and it came back negative, but I never cheated. Now he thinks our relationship is a lie and wants to divorce.

“I don’t know how it happened and I haven’t been able to stop crying all day. I never cheated. I love my husband, we’ve been together since college and he’s the love of my life, he’s handsome and kind and while I’ve slept with two other people, both were before we got together. There is no other potential father for our daughter. We were married already and actively trying for a baby.

“I never cheated, I never would cheat, and I don’t know why he took that stupid test because I would never, ever cheat, but it came back negative and now he thinks he’s not her dad. I don’t know how to convince him it was a faulty test and I’m so scared.”

The woman goes on to say that her partner had been acting differently over the last few months and was accusing her of infidelity – so she decided to try and prove her innocence by doing her own tests and this is where things get stranger.

In an update to the post, she continued: “We did a few tests. Blood paternity tests for him and me, and our daughter, and we had an appointment with a chimerism specialist coming up, but that got cancelled because, well, some of you guessed it, but my daughter is not biologically mine either.

“I don’t know how this happened, but a police officer came to our house and took our statements, and we’re suing the hospital where I gave birth. I don’t know what happened to my baby, and that is terrifying. I have my husband back, but my whole world was still upended, and I just wish he’d never taken that stupid test.

“I’ve been sleeping in my daughter’s room, and I’m so afraid that she’s going to be taken away from me, but at the same time I want to know where my biological daughter is, and if she’s okay. I pray to God she’s okay.”

People who read the post simply couldn’t believe it, with one saying: “I thought he was looking to leave her and he lied about the test.”

The man shared his story on the subreddit r/TrueOffMyChest, noting that the entire saga played out over a six-week period at work.

The 23-year-old man said that he has been friends with his 32-year-old coworker, Robert since he started his job four years ago.

Robert has four sons with his wife, Danielle, and they all sport their father’s straight blonde hair and tan skin with no freckles.

The couple recently welcomed a daughter, Chelsea, but she is the first child to break the trend.

The daughter’s appearance made Robert wonder if his friend had fathered a child with his wife.

The daughter has curly red hair and freckles like her mother, but also like the man who wrote the Reddit post.

From the moment he noticed his daughter’s differing appearance, Robert stayed adamant that she would look more like him as she grew.

“Robert goes, ‘Yeah don’t bank on that staying. My genes are strong after all,’” the man wrote.

“Danielle rolled her eyes and I shrugged it off as a weird joke at first, but the entire time I was there, he pretty much kept going on about how his genes would prevail.”

However, three weeks passed and Chelsea still looked just as different. Robert went on and on about how he didn’t understand why she didn’t look like her brothers.

After five days of hearing his coworker complain, the man explained to him that, shockingly, genetics aren’t guaranteed to go a certain way.

Days later, Robert came into work claiming that Chelsea was not his daughter. Furthermore, he accused his wife of cheating on him with the man and that he is actually Chelsea’s dad.

One problem with that, the man is openly gay.

He has a male fiance and his car is adorned with pride stickers, but that didn’t stop Robert from jumping headfirst into conclusions.

“I just couldn’t help but laugh at him, it was just so bizarre and I know I wasn’t the only one looking at him like he was insane either,” the man wrote.

Robert believed that he was the father because he spends a lot of time with Danielle. The man admits this is true, but because they are both part of his “girlfriend group.”

Robert then starts demanding the man takes a paternity test. 

The man rebutted that Robert should take a paternity test for himself, to which he said he wouldn’t pay for a test that he “knows the truth to.” The man also said he wouldn’t pay for a test, leaving the two at an impasse.

He then texted Danielle about what happened. The next day, he woke up to many threatening text messages and missed calls from Robert, who Danielle kicked out after hearing what he’d done and is filing for divorce.

The following morning, Robert said that he would pay for the test and that he would take him to court once “the truth” was revealed. He also blamed the man for destroying his marriage and his life. 

“Idiot really has gone around telling everyone I’m the dad,” the man wrote.

“I agreed to the test and told him he may as well quit his job and just vanish after this because it’s gonna be really embarrassing when I walk in with the paperwork and wave it around saying I’m not the daddy to his red-headed child and he has to explain to everyone including his own children what an absolute idiot he is.”

The man’s friends have acted unusually distant to him since the incident.

They believe him when he says he isn’t the father, but also that he should’ve just gone along with the test rather than escalating the situation as he did. They even went so far as to call him a “trash friend.”

People took issue with how his friends abandoned him as they did. 

“Your friends are morons,” one commenter said.