Paternity Fraud is a significant issue that has caused distress among many Nigerian families.

It also creates a lot of debate countrywide around trust and morality in relationships.

Suppose you’ve decided that something’s not quite right, and you need to do a DNA paternity test to establish if you are the father (or not) of your children.

It’s not an easy decision, and it does come with considerable emotional distress for all the parties involved – yourself, your wife or partner and of course, the children.

Financially, it’s also a big deal.

You must be confident the results you get are accurate since the next steps you take can be life-changing.

In this post, we’ll share what could happen when you have a DNA paternity test in Nigeria.

In addition, we tell you what should you expect with a test, things that could mean an inconclusive result and some DNA Paternity Centres in Nigeria.

DNA and the basis for Paternity Tests

Paternity fraud in Nigeria is the main reason that many Nigerians are familiar with DNA (though it has other applications).

DNA sequencing is how paternity DNA tests are carried out in a laboratory to match DNA samples from different individuals to confirm paternity or fatherhood.

Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is the genetic material you inherit from your mother and father. 

A DNA paternity test uses the genetic material, usually taken from the cells of a cheek swab, to determine whether a man is the child’s biological father.

How Accurate is a DNA Paternity Test?

DNA paternity tests are highly accurate; therefore, a test can show with 99.9% accuracy if a man isn’t a person’s biological father.

In Nigeria, you will need to attend a laboratory to conduct your test most of the time. In some cases, you can purchase self-testing kits to carry out a test by yourself at home.

It is important that you visit a reputable centre to ensure you get accurate results.

NB – If the result is intended for legal purposes, a healthcare professional must carry out a test.

How is a Paternity DNA Test performed?

The method is roughly the same in different laboratories.

The test will usually take between 15 – 30 minutes on average, and results are available by 2 or 3 weeks from your test date. 

To perform the test, cells from each person (child and alleged father) being tested are taken from inside the cheek. Blood tests can also be used, but mouth swabs are simpler and more common.

However, you should know the result may be affected by a few factors outside of fraudulently tampering with the results:

Five things that could go wrong with your Paternity Test results

1. Contents of your mouth – eating, drinking, smoking or using toothpaste within 1 hour before the test.
   • Foreign particles from food, liquids, toothpaste and tobacco byproducts don’t alter the DNA. However, they can mask it. Consequently, the sample can become degraded and, therefore, unusable for paternity testing. 
2. Incorrectly collecting a sample – the risk should be low with experienced professionals.
   • Still, it is possible to take a sample that does not have enough cells to test DNA. The mouth swab is an easy method for collecting human DNA. But, they must be cheek cells and NOT saliva. While saliva can contain some cells, they are not enough for the DNA test. To ensure it collects enough cheek cells, the mouth swab should be rubbed inside the cheek for around 20 seconds or at least 8-10 times.
3. Cross-contamination – these are laboratory errors that could happen rarely but could lead to false results.
   • Examples are mislabelling or not being careful to avoid dropping or touching the swab when handling. It is the responsibility of the labs to handle the swabs with care and be sure to carefully store samples from different participants.
4. Recent blood transfusion – in this case, another individual’s DNA has temporarily been introduced to your body.
   • Suppose the DNA test is done soon after the transfusion. In that case, the lab technicians may see two DNA profiles when they run the sequencing tests, leading to inconclusive results. Alerting the technicians of recent blood tests beforehand can help reduce the risk of this occurring.
5. Bone marrow transplant – similarly, suppose you ever received a bone marrow transplant.
   • In that case, you should alert the lab because you permanently have 2 DNA profiles – yours and the DNA from the donor since their bone marrow is creating new cells inside you.

Confidence in your DNA Paternity Result

So while DNA Paternity testing can be over 99% accurate, these are a few reasons you may get an inconclusive result.

Undertaking DNA testing for Nigeria paternity fraud cases should be conducted carefully. Sometimes, you may need to carry out a confirmatory test at another lab before taking subsequent actions.

If you need to conduct a Paternity DNA test in Nigeria, in the next section we share details of some centres where you can get your test (availability confirmed as of April 2021).

DNA Paternity Test Centres in Nigeria

• For correct identification of the test person, identification is necessary – a driver’s license, passport, other state-issued ID or child’s birth certificate are acceptable.
  • Some centres take a photograph of each person at the time the sample is being collected to confirm accurate identification.
  • Additionally, they sign statements to confirm they have observed the correct collection and labelling of their own samples before they are sealed in tamper-proof containers.

Conclusion

Have you any questions about DNA Paternity tests? Hopefully, this article gives some idea about what you may need and the process for testing in your local area – do let us know in the comments section if you require any more clarification on this or other topics. Until next time, stay well.

More Reading

• My blood group is different from that of ‘my kids’.
• Referral Centres for Sexual Assault in Nigeria
• Prenatal Testing in Sickle Cell Disease.
• Cervical Cancer Awareness – what you should know

Reference

1. DNA Paternity Test
2. How to Take a Sample
3. Ways Paternity Test Samples Can Be Wrong

Editing by AskAwayHealth Team

Disclaimer

All AskAwayHealth articles are written by practising  Medical Practitioners on a wide range of health care conditions to provide evidence-based guidance and to help promote quality health care. The advice in our material is not meant to replace the management of your specific condition by a qualified health care practitioner.
To discuss your condition, please contact a health practitioner or reach us directly through info@askawayhealth.org

Image Credits: Canva