•Tells City People
As a dad, has it ever occurred to you that you might not be the biological father of your son who you call Junior?
As a son or daughter also, has it also occurred to you that the man you call Daddy, might not be your biological dad, as your mum has made you believe all these while?
These are the new discoveries facing many families today, as many Daddies are suddenly realising that they are not the biological fathers of their son and the children also realising that the man who their mum has made them grow up to believe is their dad is not their biological father. That is what is going on right now in so many homes, as couples are dragging each other to DNA Centres across the country to conduct paternity tests to be sure of the paternity of their kids, especially their firstborns.
What does DNA test entail?
A DNA paternity test is nearly 100% accurate at determining whether a man is another person’s biological father. DNA tests can use cheek swabs or blood tests. You must have the test done in a medical setting if you need results for legal reasons. Prenatal paternity tests can determine fatherhood during pregnancy.
What is a DNA paternity test?
Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is the genetic material you inherit from your mother and father. Paternity refers to fatherhood. A DNA paternity test uses DNA, usually taken from 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 extremely accurate. A test can show with 99.9% accuracy if a man isn’t a person’s biological father.
Why do people need DNA paternity tests?
Establishing paternity can be important for several reasons. It can help:
Gain legal rights to child support, child custody, Social Security benefits and inheritance.
Identify links to genetic conditions that can affect your long-term health
What is the process for DNA testing through?
(1) DNA testing
When you need to undergo a DNA test for any reason, you might be curious how the process works. DNA testing is a science. The method of performing the test requires a lab and specialized machinery. This article will help you to understand the process behind DNA testing.
(2) Sample Collection
This can be any bodily fluid or hair from a person, as they all carry DNA. The most common, and the least invasive sample taken is a swab of the inside of your cheek.
(3) Lyse Cells
This process will break down the membranes of the cells. Typically, performed by adding an enzyme to a solution containing the DNA sample.
(4) Separation
There are multiple ways to separate DNA. However, the most common is a process called electrophoresis. This method uses an electric field to sort molecules in a sample. The unique molecular structure of DNA forces it away from the rest of the sample.
(5) Copying
A process called PCR is used to generate copies of the DNA. These copies are then be tested for genetic markers.
(6) Testing
Testing is the finding of genetic markers in the DNA that identify the relationship. There are thousands of known genetic markers, but a relationship DNA test reports on 16 to 21 specific genetic markers that can prove a genetic relationship.
(7) Matching
Now that markers have been obtained, they can be matched against an unknown DNA sample. This will help to show if the unknown is the same person as the DNA donor. In the case of a paternity DNA test, the potential father must match half of the child’s genetic markers; the other half comes from the mother.
What City People discovered is that over the last few months, the pressure has been mounting on many couples to go and do DNA to enable them to reconfirm the paternity of their kids, especially the firstborns. This is because of the rising incidence of paternity scandals. The recent controversy involving a bank Managing Director has also fuelled the rising wave of husbands dragging their wives to DNA Centres to conduct paternity tests. Wives are also taking the toothbrushes of their husbands surreptitiously to doctors to do DNA profiling to be doubly sure their kids are from the man they call their husbands.
All these have led to the break up of so many marriages because more often than not, the result usually shows that most firstborns are not the biological children of the men they call their dad.
“In the last few months, especially around January, there has been a lot of increase of people coming for DNA and we think it might be as a result of the recent paternity issue with a certain bank MD,” explained Mr. Salami Abiodun, a Geneticist at the DNA Centre For Paternity, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.
“So, we have a lot of people coming in, especially women now. We have seen a lot of women coming in with the toothbrush of their husbands to enable them know if actually, that child belongs to them. Apart from that, we have seen lots of men, in fact, the last 4 months has been the highest we have had in a long time. We did close to 300 tests in a month which we have never had before now. So, people are getting aware and the social media is also pushing it because when people hear news of paternity scandals here and there, they want to test or know if actually that child they call son is actually their son. That has been on the rise right now”.
Last week, City People visited this top rated DNA Centre Limited located at 73 Allen Avenue, Ikeja Lagos which was incorporated in August 2009 and was granted an operating license on the 23rd of October of the same year. City People was told how the laboratory and scientific team have earned the highest accreditations available for Genetic testing among which are AABB, CLIA, NYSDOH, CAP, and ANAB-ISO/ IEC17025.
“Every year, we process and analyze close to a thousand samples sent from all over the country. We are the trusted laboratory for government agencies, legal professionals, and healthcare practitioners as well as the choice for high-profile celebrity cases that require an added layer of security” he added.
“For over 10 years, DNA Centre For Paternity Tests have been generating timely, reliable, and confidential DNA test results that change lives for the better and we are the only company that runs every paternity DNA sample twice to ensure error-free results.”
“Our mission is to provide the best DNA testing services, accessible and affordable to our clients wherever they are. We believe that the technological advancements in DNA testing should translate into services that are accessible and affordable to everyone.”
Salami Abiodun is a Senior Geneticist at DNA Centre for Paternity Tests and has worked several years abroad in arguable the largest DNA testing facility in the world. Abiodun has a degree in Cell and Genetics and Masters in Forensic DNA & Serology. DNA Centre is licensed to provide DNA testing services in Nigeria and is registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission. The centre is located at Oluwatobi House, 73 Allen Avenue in Ikeja. DNA Centre laboratory is internationally accredited and they can be reached on 07059999333, 07059999444 and 08160010036.
How does Mr. Salami Abiodun manage the aftereffect of the bad news that the DNA tests often give?
“Well, we always console them. There are some people who are actually happy that oh, this test is actually positive. Some are sad that oh, after spending so much on school fees, this child is not mine. There are some that are even happy that the child is not even mine. It depends on the way that woman or the spouse has dealt with the husband in quote.”
“We have situations where somebody comes and says thank God this child is mine. I am so ashamed of my self that I have not really taken care of this child, and I have denied paternity of this child and I have now discovered that this child is mine.”
“We see different examples. Let me tell you about a 28-year-old lady who brought her dad for a test. We kept wondering, why would a young lady bring her own dad for a test. After the test, we got to know that this 28-year-old lady is actually planning to wed and the mother now called her to tell her that this man you actually call daddy is actually not your dad. That her real dad is really disturbing her for him to attend the wedding if not he is going to scatter the wedding. So, the lady now called her dad and told him this is what my mum is saying. And I don’t think she is in her right senses, bla, bla, bla. At the end of the day, the father now advised that see, she might be right, lets just come for this test and they came for the test. Lo and behold, he discovered he is not the father of the child, after 28 years, after she had started preparing for her wedding. The man even gave us CONSENT to share their story because he wants people to learn from his own experience. There are cases like that. A lot is happening.”
“Let me share another story with you. A man and a woman have been married for so many years, no child, nothing. Eventually, the lady met her former school boyfriend and they got together and had sex and that month she got pregnant, she gave birth to twins and the man automatically thought he was the father of those twins. And for years they were living happily. They now had a quarrel at some point and the woman made a comment or a statement that, so you think you can actually father a child.? The man heard that statement and he quickly came for a DNA test and the woman was saying he is not the father of that child. It became a Court issue and the court directed them to our office to run a test. We did the test. The other man, who is the woman’s boyfriend who thought he was the father to those twins realised that he is not the father when the result came out. Even the husband at home who was thinking he is the father of the twins was also disappointed. None of the 2 is the father. We had to counsel the man. He stood there for about 1 hour, he couldn’t move an inch. He was really disappointed. Meanwhile, the 3rd person who we don’t know of is the father of the twins. So, you can imagine. It was a big blow to the man.
At the end of the day, what will he do? Nothing. It is even good that he has known now, not when those children are 20 to 30 years. We counsel them. I am not of the opinion that we should chase the woman out, including the child who has been calling you daddy. It’s better you adopt those children. You don’t need to send them away. Who else will they call daddy? What many of those who come to us want is to just know the truth. They would have made up their mind on what to do. What we do is just to counsel. The decision is basically theirs”.
What is usually his professional advice to many people who come to him for counselling? “I always tell people, trust but verify. It is very important that you know that this child you are raising is actually yours because we have seen plenty of paternity fraud. Its happening everyday. Many people don’t understand the magnitude of this issue. Its so much. Its rampant. We have witnessed a massive increase probably because of the social media, its massive. Just a few minutes ago before you came in, a man left here, he was crying, as a result of the test he did. He came for the result of his test and he discovered that the child was not his. His marriage is less than a year. He told us he suspected that probably the man who was the Chairman of their wedding occasion, that sponsored their wedding was the father of the child because when the wife took him to the Chairman, (the man is an elderly man) but due to the familiarity between his wife and man, she didn’t show respect. He used O for him, instead of Ee, as the Yorubas say as a sign of respect. Maybe it was slip of tongue. The lady was using O. She had forgotten herself. He disrespected the man in his presence and he realised they were close. The man’s driver usually drops her off. That is why he did the test and he realised he is not the father of the child. That paternity crisis is now very rampant, especially firstborns. If you take the percentages of the tests we do, you will find that the firstborns are not the child of the assumed biological father, almost 60% probably because the lady before marriage continued with the relationship. So, it’s rampant now, it’s so much, everywhere. There are also plenty of men that have decided paternity. We have cares on daily basis. Many of these men also deny that they ever met this woman and that the woman is trying to blackmail them. And when we run we would find that he is the father of those children. So it bothers on the 2 sides, both the Male and the Female. It is getting rampant. It is on the high side. It is happening on a daily basis. It is on the increase, probably because people are getting to be aware that you can actually test to know if you are the father of that child or not.
As City People was rounding up on this story a Delta High Court Judge wept as DNA revealed that he is not the father of his 3 adult children.
Last week, the Nigerian judge cried out after he allegedly discovered that the 3 children he had with his ex-wife were not his biological offspring. Anthony Okorodas was sworn in as a judge of Delta State High Court by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in 2018.
He accused his former wife, Juliet Ototo of Cheating during their marriage, which ended 11 years ago.
“I have taken the decision to address the Press in respect of certain traumatic developments that have arisen between me and my ex-wife. It is now nearly 11 years since our separation and divorce.”
“This Press Statement is important in order to prevent damaging speculations, half-truths and outright lies from persons who may want to cash in on the tragedy that has befallen my home.”
“Sometime during the coronavirus lockdowns early last year, I received information from an anonymous source that indicated that the last of the three children from my previous marriage was in fact not my biological child.”
“Due to the COVID-19 restrictions at the time, I had to wait until August 2020 to carry out a DNA test. The DNA test result which came out in September 2020 confirmed that I was not the biological father of the child.”
“Consequently, I convened a joint meeting between my extended family on the one side, and her paternal and maternal families (i.e., the Ototo Family of Ovom Town and the Agbagidi Family of Yenagoa Town) on the other side, where I confronted her with the paternity fraud allegation.”
“Although she initially strongly insisted that I was the biological father, she has since confessed to having the child with another man during the course of our marriage.”
This repulsive act of my ex-wife prompted me to conduct DNA tests in respect of the two other children. A few days ago, the results came out. Sadly, none of them is my biological child.
“This abomination has caused excruciating mental trauma to me, my present wife, Barrister (Mrs) Ebi Okorodas and all of the innocent children involved. This is particularly so for Ebi, who has had to agree to have DNA tests on the 4 children of our own marriage. Thankfully, the test results confirm each of them to be my biological child.”
“It is important to state that my ex-wife walked away from the marriage when her youngest child (who is now 17 years of age) was just 6 years old. Since then, all of her children have lived with my wife, Ebi and I, and we have been wholly responsible for their wellbeing and education.”
“Friends who are close to my family would readily attest to the fact that unless specifically informed, no one could tell that the children were not the biological children of my present wife.”
“Ebi and I would continue to support the children in any way that we can. Indeed, even after the release of the first DNA test result which proved that I was not the biological father of the last child, we have continued to pay for his education in a private boarding school.”
“The two other children are University undergraduates. The first, a female, will be a graduate later this year, and the second will soon enter his 4th year of study. We pray for them to overcome the trauma and become responsible citizens of our country.”
“For my ex-wife and her boyfriend or boyfriends, we leave them to their conscience.”
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