One in every four men tested is not the biological father of the child in question.
Paternity fraud is a situation where a woman misleads or deceives a man into believing and accepting that he is the biological father of a child.
According to the 2025 Annual DNA Testing Report by Smart DNA, Nigeria’s paternity exclusion rate currently stands at 25 per cent. What this means is that out of every 4 men who go for a DNA test to confirm if a child is theirs, 1 man finds out he is not the biological father.
The report also showed that firstborn children are the most affected, with firstborn sons accounting for 64 per cent of negative results. While the findings have sparked intense public debate, experts caution that the statistics do not necessarily reflect the entire Nigerian population.
In Nigeria, family is the cornerstone of society, and fatherhood carries profound cultural, economic and emotional weight. Traditionally, paternal lineage dictates inheritance, tribal affiliations and social standing.
However, rising cases of paternity fraud fueled by societal pressures, infidelity and lack of accountability have eroded trust in these age-old structures.
Paternity fraud has serious emotional, social, and financial consequences in a society where fatherhood carries deep cultural significance, dictating inheritance, tribal identity, and social standing. Yet, unlike some countries such as South Africa, Nigeria has no laws penalising paternity fraud.
Key Findings from the 2025 Smart DNA Report
The 2025 report (covering July 2024 – June 2025) offered further insights:
Paternity exclusion rate: 24–25%, showing a slight decline from 2024.
Firstborn sons are disproportionately affected.
Older men (41+) initiated nearly half of all tests.
More male children were tested than female children.
Children aged 0–5 made up over half of all tests.
Ethnic patterns: Yoruba and Igbo clients dominated, with minimal Hausa participation.
Reasons for testing: Peace of mind (83.7%) was the main driver. Immigration-related testing is rising, and legal or court-ordered tests remain a small fraction.
