Smart DNA, a leading DNA centre in Nigeria, has released its 2025 Annual DNA Testing Report, revealing a high rate in immigration-related DNA cases amid the country’s ongoing “Japa” wave, while paternity disputes remain a recurring issue.
According to the report, released on Sunday in Lagos, 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. However, the figures are slightly lower than the 27 per cent recorded in 2024. Meanwhile, 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.
Further findings 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.
