It has been established that about 64 per cent of firstborn children born in Nigeria are not from the presumed father or the husband of their mothers but probably from their ex before they got married.
This calculation is based on the 2025 Annual DNA Testing Report released by the Lagos-based forensic laboratory, Smart DNA, which analyzed data from July 2024 to June 2025.
The data is as follows: Firstborn Children Discrepancy: A striking 64% of firstborn children (with a disproportionate number being boys) found in a sample of disputed cases that did not belong to their presumed fathers.
“This indicates that “64% of firstborns” figure refers to cases where the test was requested, not to 64% of all firstborn children in Lagos. The data indicates that firstborns are the most frequent victims of paternity discrepancies in cases where a test is conducted,” the report indicated.
The same report noted that 25% of all paternity tests conducted during that period returned a negative result (meaning one in four men tested was not the biological father), marking a slight decrease from 27% in 2024.
However, experts warn that these statistics are based on voluntary testing, largely initiated by men who already had reasons to doubt paternity (often for “peace of mind”). Therefore, these percentages do not mean 64% of allfirst-born children in Lagos are not biologically related to their fathers, but rather that in the cases that reached the testing centre, that was the outcome.
A female journalist married with children in her reaction said that the figure is possible, especially in Lagos and Abuja, where many girls live fake lives. They lie to people. She recalled that in the last two months some celebrities who have divorced their wives are now opening up. She said that one popular comedian in Nigeria just revealed that she divorced his wife when he found out that his first child was not biologically his.
“In the last two months reports of infidelity are all over the social media, where men just realised that some children born for them by their wives are no really theirs biologically. Some of these women will be married but dating other men outside. One of them was already dating a commissioner in Lagos state before her husband divorced her. He found that all the children she gave birth for him are not really his,” she said.
A travel videographer, also said that most women do not marry the men they are dating so most often they get pregnant before they get married and hide the pregnancy. When they give birth, it will be assumed that the husband is the owner of the child but the women always know who the father of their child is.
“Some women hide their pregnancy and enter marriage. Many women do not marry whom they are dating because their boyfriend may not be ready to settle down at the time. The women may look at how old they are and feel they are getting old. So, if anyone comes to marry them and they like the man, they will agree to marry him. Meanwhile, they have their boyfriend and they may obviously love the boyfriend more. So, they could get pregnant from their boyfriend and hide it from their husband and get married to him. So, when they give birth, the man will suppose the child is his,” she said.
