DNA Tests: 23.6% of Nigerian Men Tested Not Biological Fathers — Report
About 23.6 per cent of paternity tests conducted by Smart DNA Nigeria returned negative results during its 2025/2026 reporting period, indicating that the men tested were not the biological fathers of the children involved.
The figure is contained in the company’s latest annual DNA Testing Report released in Lagos, which showed a marginal decline from the 24 per cent recorded in the preceding reporting period and 26.1 per cent in 2023.
However, Smart DNA cautioned against interpreting the findings to mean that one in four Nigerian children is not biologically related to the man regarded as their father.
The company explained that its clients were individuals who had already developed doubts or had specific reasons to seek DNA testing, meaning the findings could not be generalised to the Nigerian population.
Smart DNA Marketing Manager, Chukwudi Eze, said greater attention should be paid to the 76.4 per cent of men whose paternity was confirmed rather than focusing solely on the negative results.
“The number people talk about is one in four. But the number they should be talking about is three in four,” Eze said.
He added that a majority of men who approached the centre with doubts about their biological relationships were ultimately confirmed as the biological fathers.
The report further showed that 87 per cent of the DNA tests conducted during the period were “Peace of Mind” tests, involving private, self-initiated testing outside legal, immigration or court proceedings.
The proportion rose from 83.7 per cent in the previous reporting period, suggesting that personal concerns and the desire for certainty were major drivers of DNA testing.
Immigration-related tests accounted for 9.7 per cent of cases, while legal tests represented 1.9 per cent. Avuncular tests accounted for one per cent, with prenatal testing representing 0.4 per cent.
Smart DNA Operations Manager, Elizabeth Digia, said many clients approached the centre seeking answers to sensitive personal questions that they found difficult to discuss with others.
She called for such cases to be handled with dignity and cautioned against sensationalising DNA test results.
The report also revealed that men aged 41 and above constituted 48 per cent of age-classified male clients, while those aged between 31 and 40 accounted for 35.8 per cent.
This means that men aged above 30 represented 83.8 per cent of the male testing population.
Children aged five years and below accounted for 59.5 per cent of tested individuals, a proportion that remained virtually unchanged from the previous reporting period.
According to the company, the high concentration of testing among younger children may indicate a preference among some families to resolve questions concerning biological relationships early, although the data did not establish the reasons for the trend.
Lagos Dominates Testing
Geographically, Lagos accounted for 75.1 per cent of all classified cases, up from 69 per cent in the preceding reporting period.
Lekki recorded the highest number of named locations in Lagos, followed by Ajah, Ikorodu, Yaba and Ikeja. Lagos Mainland accounted for 61.6 per cent of cases with specific location classifications within the state.
Outside Lagos, Ogun recorded the highest level of testing activity, followed by Delta, Oyo, Rivers, Enugu, Edo, Abuja, Imo and Kwara.
Smart DNA said the increase in testing activity outside Lagos suggested that awareness and demand for DNA services were gradually expanding across other parts of the country.
The report also showed that men initiated 78.6 per cent of recorded first contacts with the company, compared with 15.2 per cent initiated by women.
In terms of ethnic distribution, Yoruba clients accounted for 52.6 per cent of the recorded cases, followed by Igbo at 29.1 per cent and Edo at 5.8 per cent.
The Delta, Ijaw, Isoko, Urhobo and Itsekiri groups collectively accounted for 5.4 per cent, while Hausa clients represented one per cent.
The company stressed that the ethnic figures reflected the geographical distribution and composition of its client base and should not be interpreted as evidence of differences in paternity behaviour among ethnic groups.
Smart DNA reiterated that the 23.6 per cent negative result applied only to its testing population, which was not a random sample of Nigerian families.
It therefore warned against using the figure to estimate the prevalence of non-paternity in Nigeria.
The company said DNA testing could provide highly accurate answers to biological questions but could not, on its own, explain the social, cultural, economic or relationship circumstances that led families to seek testing.
It urged Nigerians to rely on evidence rather than rumours or sensational claims when discussing paternity testing and family relationships.
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