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Over 25% of the men who requested DNA tests weren’t biological fathers - Report

With the increase in paternity fraud, DNA testing has become more popular.
Over 25% of Nigerian fathers tested by DNA were not the biological fathers [educationweb]
Over 25% of Nigerian fathers tested by DNA were not the biological fathers [educationweb]

A thorough data analysis of all DNA tests performed between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023 has been made public by Smart DNA, a DNA testing facility with offices in Lagos.

According to the research, 26.12% of tests returned negative findings, while 73.88% of them revealed that men were the children's biological fathers.

At 82.89%, Lagos had the highest test participation rate, followed by Oyo, Ogun, FCT, and Rivers, perhaps due to population density.

The bulk of tests were performed for "peace of mind," "immigration," and "legal," indicating that people frequently request DNA testing for non-medical purposes.

In 86.44% of cases, men initiated the process of DNA testing since they were more likely to be caught in paternity fraud. Yorubas had the largest percentage of tests (61.23%), followed by Igbo, Others, and Edo.

Male children received more testing (56.62%) than female children (43.38%), which may reflect a societal desire for establishing the paternity of male kids.

Those aged 0 to 5 years received the majority of testing (58.02%), followed by those aged 6 to 12 (24.95%). Men who chose to have a DNA test were often between the ages of 31 and 40 (40%) and 41 and 50 (23%), indicating they had to have the financial means to request for such tests.

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