Nearly 1 in 4 men fail paternity tests, report finds

A significant proportion of men in Nigeria are not the biological fathers of the children they believe to be theirs, according to a report from Smart DNA Nigeria. During the laboratory's 2025/2026 reporting period, nearly one in four men who submitted to paternity testing were excluded as the biological father.

This finding highlights a substantial rate of non-paternity, raising questions about relationships and family structures. The laboratory's data indicates that approximately 25% of the tested men were excluded from paternity.

While the exclusion rate remains high, the report also noted a marginal decline in the overall percentage of negative results compared to previous periods. The specific reasons for this decline were not detailed in the provided information, but the overall figures underscore the prevalence of non-paternity cases identified through genetic testing.