Nigeria’s leading DNA centre, Smart DNA, has released its 2025 Annual DNA Testing Report, highlighting a surge in immigration-related DNA cases amid the country’s ongoing “Japa” wave, while paternity disputes remain a persistent concern.
According to the report, released on Sunday in Lagos, immigration-related DNA testing rose sharply to 13.1 per cent of all cases between July 2024 and June 2025, a trend driven by families seeking documentation for relocation abroad.
“The increase reflects the growing number of dual-citizenship families securing foreign papers for their children, often as ‘second passport’ insurance,” the centre noted.
The report also shows that Nigeria’s paternity exclusion rate remains at 25 per cent, meaning one in four presumed fathers tested are not the biological parents of the children in question. Though slightly lower than the 27 per cent recorded in 2024, the figure underscores the scale of uncertainty in family structures.
Findings further revealed that firstborn children are most affected by paternity discrepancies, with firstborn sons accounting for 64 per cent of negative results.
The study also pointed to a striking gender divide in DNA test initiations: men requested nearly 90 per cent of paternity tests, compared to just 11.8 per cent initiated by women.
Smart DNA’s Operations Manager, Elizabeth Digia, called for urgent interventions through legal reform, healthcare integration, and public education.
“Nigeria lacks specific paternity fraud laws, unlike South Africa, leaving men with little legal recourse after years of financial responsibility for children proven not to be theirs,” she said.
Digia urged that DNA testing be integrated into family health programs and premarital counselling, stressing that misconceptions still fuel mistrust.
“Many believe DNA testing is only for wealthy families or assume physical resemblance guarantees paternity. Our role is to provide certainty through accurate testing while encouraging sensitive handling of this life-changing information,” she added.
The centre concluded that the data paints a troubling picture of family trust, identity, and the socio-economic pressures shaping Nigerian households today.
