By Hosea Parah
Nearly one in four men who underwent relationship DNA testing in Nigeria were excluded as the biological fathers of the children tested, according to a new report by Smart DNA Nigeria.
The DNA testing centre recorded 23.6 per cent negative results between July 2025 and June 2026, meaning the alleged father was excluded as the biological father. When inconclusive results are excluded, the negative rate rises slightly to 23.7 per cent.
Smart DNA said the finding continued a pattern seen in its previous reporting period, although it cautioned against interpreting the figure as meaning that one in four Nigerian children is being raised by a non-biological father.
“The ‘about one in four’ pattern observed in our previous reporting period remains largely unchanged, with negative outcomes at 23.6 per cent,” the report states.
The report, based on the company’s relationship DNA testing records from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, recorded 76 per cent positive results, 23.6 per cent negative results, and 0.5 per cent inconclusive outcomes.
The figures point to paternity uncertainty as a major driver of DNA testing, with 87 per cent of classified cases conducted for ‘Peace of mind’ private testing primarily aimed at establishing biological relationships for personal reasons.
Men were also overwhelmingly responsible for initiating DNA testing enquiries. Smart DNA said men accounted for 78.6 per cent of first contacts, up from 74.9 per cent in the previous reporting period.
“Men are overwhelmingly the primary initiators of DNA testing, accounting for 78.6 per cent of all recorded first contacts,” the report stated.
The data further shows that paternity questions are particularly concentrated among older men. Men aged 41 and above accounted for 48 per cent of age-classified male records, while those aged 31 to 40 made up another 35.8 per cent. Combined, men aged 31 and older represented 83.8 per cent of the classified male records.
Young children were the most frequently tested. Children aged between zero and five accounted for 59.5 per cent of age-classified tested individuals, suggesting that many families seek biological certainty during the early years of a child’s life.
Boys accounted for 56.7 per cent of children tested, compared with 43.3 per cent for girls. Smart DNA said the reasons for the difference were not directly measured, although inheritance expectations and other family or social factors could be possible explanations.
However, the company stressed that its figures cannot be used to establish the prevalence of paternity discrepancies across Nigeria.
“This report is not a nationally representative survey of Nigerian households and cannot be used to estimate the prevalence of misattributed paternity in Nigeria as a whole,” Smart DNA said.
The company explained that people who seek DNA testing are a self-selecting group and are more likely to have an existing reason to question a biological relationship.
“Our clients are not randomly selected Nigerians. They include people who have actively chosen to establish a biological relationship, often because a question already exists,” the report stated.
The testing figures nevertheless show that demand for DNA relationship testing is growing. Smart DNA recorded a 45.9 per cent year-on-year increase in testing activity, while the proportion of negative results remained broadly stable at around one-quarter.
Lagos State accounted for 75.1 per cent of geographically classified cases, with Ogun, Delta, and Oyo states recording the largest shares outside Lagos.
Smart DNA said the findings highlight the need for caution when discussing paternity testing, warning that aggregate DNA testing data cannot explain the circumstances behind individual families seeking answers.
The report said its purpose was to provide evidence to a debate often driven by isolated stories and unverified claims.
“A laboratory result can provide a highly reliable answer to a biological question, but aggregate testing data cannot, on its own, explain the motives or circumstances behind every family that seeks a test,” Smart DNA said.