Nearly one in four paternity tests conducted at Smart DNA Nigeria during the 2025/2026 reporting period did not identify the man tested as the biological father, according to data released by the laboratory.
The latest figures show that 23.6 percent of recorded paternity test results were negative, compared to 24 percent in the previous reporting period and 26.1 percent in 2023.
The figures indicate a gradual decline in negative paternity outcomes over the three reporting periods, although the latter rate remains significant.
Smart DNA operations manager Elizabeth Digia said many clients sought testing because they were struggling with uncertainty about biological parentage.
“Most men and women who come to us don’t come because someone told them to. They come because they can’t live with the issue,” Digia said, stressing that paternity cases should be handled with dignity and not sensationalism.
The latest report also showed that men accounted for 78.6 percent of first contacts for paternity testing, compared to 15.2 percent for women.
Men 41 years old and older made up the largest age group among the classified male records, representing 48 percent, while children five years old and younger represented 59.5 percent of those tested.
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The figures suggest that paternity issues are often investigated when children are still very young, although the data do not establish when questions about paternity first arose.
The findings also revealed a notable pattern among first-born children. Boys accounted for 56.1 percent of negative outcomes in first-born children in the latest reporting period, up from about 64.4 percent in the previous period.
The finding is particularly significant in a society where first-born children often occupy an important position in lineage, inheritance and family succession.
Therefore, a negative parenting outcome involving a first child could have implications beyond the relationship between a couple, potentially affecting family identity, inheritance claims, and disputes over belonging.
The report also showed a change in the reasons why Nigerians sought DNA testing.
Immigration-related DNA testing fell from 13.1 percent to 9.7 percent, while Peace of Mind testing increased from 83.7 percent to 87 percent.
The change suggests that private investigations into biological paternity now account for the majority of cases recorded in the laboratory.
Rather than being driven primarily by immigration or legal procedures, data indicates that many people are turning to DNA testing to resolve personal uncertainty about biological relationships.
But a negative result can have consequences far beyond the laboratory.
Experts have urged men who receive negative results to avoid directing their anger or blaming the children, who have no control over the circumstances surrounding their birth or the decision to take a test.
A child who suddenly becomes the center of a dispute over biological paternity may experience rejection, confusion, and emotional distress, especially if the outcome contributes to the breakdown of the relationship between the parents.
However, the latest figures from Smart DNA should not be interpreted as evidence that almost one in four Nigerian fathers are unknowingly raising another man’s child.
The 23.6 percent figure represents the proportion of negative results among people who sought testing at the laboratory. It is not a national prevalence rate.
People who have no reason to question paternity are less likely to request DNA testing, meaning the lab’s client population cannot be assumed to represent Nigerian families in general.
Smart DNA has warned against extrapolating numbers from its testing centers to the broader Nigerian population, noting that the distinction is particularly important given the emotional and social sensitivity surrounding parenthood.
Despite the decrease from 26.1 percent in 2023 to 24 percent in 2024/2025 and 23.6 percent in 2025/2026, the figures show that paternity issues remain a major reason why Nigerians turn to DNA technology.
The data also points to a broader shift in how Nigerians resolve questions of biological identity. As testing becomes more accessible and awareness grows, the trend could become more pronounced.
For Smart DNA, the latest figures represent more than laboratory statistics. They reflect a growing number of Nigerians turning to scientific evidence when it becomes difficult to live with uncertainty about biological paternity.
And while the rate of negative results has declined for three consecutive reporting periods, its persistence above 20 percent ensures that paternity testing will continue to be an emotionally charged topic for Nigerian families.
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