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Nearly one in four paternity tests conducted by Smart DNA Nigeria returned negative results during the laboratory’s 2025/2026 reporting period, with 23.6 per cent of men tested excluded as the biological fathers of the children involved.
The figure, disclosed by the laboratory on Wednesday, represents a marginal decline from the 24 per cent recorded in the preceding reporting period and 26.1 per cent in 2023, continuing a gradual decline in negative paternity outcomes over the three reporting periods.
Operations Manager, Smart DNA, Elizabeth Digia, said many clients sought testing because they could no longer live with uncertainty over biological parentage.
“Most of the men and women who come to us are not coming because anyone told them to. They are coming because they cannot live with the question,” Digia said, stressing that paternity testing involves sensitive family circumstances that should be handled with dignity rather than sensationalism.
According to the report, men accounted for 78.6 per cent of first contacts for paternity testing, compared with 15.2 per cent for women, making men the dominant initiators of paternity investigations.
The report showed that men aged 41 and above constituted the largest classified male age group, accounting for 48 per cent of records, while those aged 31 to 40 represented 35.8 per cent. Together, men above 30 accounted for 83.8 per cent of male records with available age data.
It also showed that children aged five years and below accounted for 59.5 per cent of tested individuals, indicating that paternity questions are frequently being investigated while children are still young. The data, however, do not establish when the doubts first arose.
Another notable finding involved firstborn children, with boys accounting for 56.1 per cent of negative firstborn outcomes in the latest reporting period, down from about 64.4 per cent in the preceding period.
The report noted that the finding could have wider implications in families where first sons traditionally play significant roles in lineage, inheritance and succession, potentially extending paternity disputes beyond couples to questions of family identity and belonging.
The report further showed a shift in the reasons Nigerians sought DNA testing. Immigration-related tests declined from 13.1 per cent to 9.7 per cent, while “Peace of Mind” tests increased from 83.7 per cent to 87 per cent.
The development indicates that personal verification of biological parentage now accounts for the overwhelming majority of Smart DNA’s recorded cases, rather than testing driven by immigration requirements.
Despite the findings, Smart DNA cautioned against interpreting the 23.6 per cent negative-result rate as evidence that nearly one in four Nigerian fathers is unknowingly raising another man’s child.
The laboratory stressed that its data represent only people who sought testing at its facility and cannot be regarded as a national prevalence rate. Nigerians with no reason to question paternity are less likely to undergo DNA testing, making the laboratory’s client population different from the wider population.
The report nevertheless highlighted the growing use of DNA technology by Nigerians seeking certainty about biological relationships.
It noted that while a DNA test can settle the biological question of parentage, the consequences of a negative result can extend into marriage, family relationships, inheritance and the emotional wellbeing of children.
The report also emphasised the need for sensitivity when dealing with paternity disputes, particularly where children are involved, as a negative result can trigger rejection, confusion, family conflict and emotional distress.
With DNA testing becoming increasingly accessible, questions once settled through trust, resemblance and family assurances are increasingly being subjected to scientific verification.
Although the negative-result rate has declined for three consecutive reporting periods, the latest figure of 23.6 per cent shows that paternity testing remains a significant and emotionally sensitive issue for Nigerian families.
