The reason, according to LASUTH, was because all DNA samples held at the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre located in its premises were destroyed when the Centre was burnt down during the #EndSARS protests in October 2020.

But Mr. Alimi Adamu, the lead counsel to Media Rights Agenda, MRA, which applied for the coroner’s inquest, disputed the claim saying the explanation offered by LASUTH contained a fundamental inconsistency as official records showed that the DNA Centre was burnt on October 23, 2020, before the death of Mr. Onifade on October 24, 2020 and as such, the DNA samples collected from his parents could not have been among those destroyed.

Noting that the collection of DNA samples from members of the late Onifade’s family was carried out many days after his death, he argued that the DNA samples could therefore not have been destroyed when the Centre was burnt on October 23, before Onifade died.

The repeated failure of LASUTH to comply with the orders of the investigating magistrate, Mrs. Temitope Oladele, to produce “a comprehensive and specific report” on the unidentified body believed to be that of the late Onifade’s stalled progress for nearly five months in the inquiry into the death of the young journalist with Gboah TV.

He was reportedly shot by the Police while covering the #EndSARS protests on October 24, 2020.

The order, first made on November 18, 2025, directing LASUTH to produce a report on the body tagged 1385, on which it was said to have conducted a post-mortem examination in November 2020, is part of the ongoing efforts to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of Mr Onifade.

At the last session of the inquest on March 24, 2026, the Coroner refused Mr. Adamu’s application for committal proceedings to be initiated against LASUTH’s Chief Medical Director for the continued disobedience of the Court’s order, saying she would give the hospital a final opportunity to comply with her order.

She consequently adjourned the matter to April 7, 2026.

The coroner’s inquest into Mr. Onifade’s death was convened on the orders of a Federal High Court in Lagos following a suit brought against the Police and the Lagos State Government by MRA, demanding, among other things, an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the late journalist.

Delivering judgment in that suit on July 19, 2024, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji directed the Attorney-General of Lagos State to take all necessary steps to ensure an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Onifade’s death and to conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of death, as well as identify and prosecute those responsible for his death.

At the resumption of proceedings on April 7, 2026, the District Coroner noted that in compliance with her order, LASUTH had submitted its report to the court.

According to the report, all the DNA samples held by the DNA Centre were destroyed as a result of the burning of the DNA Centre during the #EndSARS protests.

Mr. Adamu, leading Mr. Monday Arunsi, on behalf of MRA and the Onifade family, recounted the sequence of events, saying they revealed a fundamental inconsistency in the explanation provided by LASUTH as official records indicated that the DNA Centre was burnt on October 23, 2020, before Mr. Onifade’s death on October 24, 2020, after which DNA samples were collected from members of the Onifade family at a later date.

He submitted that on the basis of the chronology, attributing the alleged destruction of the DNA samples to the incident of October 23, 2020, is manifestly inconsistent and cannot be reconciled with the established sequence of events, “thereby rendering the explanation untenable both logically and evidentially.”

Mr. Adamu said although he was not imputing bad faith against any institution or authority, the apparent inconsistency in the report called for clarification and, where necessary, appropriate corrective measures to ensure the integrity of the investigative process.

He told the court that Pelumi’s parents, who were present in court, had subsequent interactions with relevant officials of LASUTH, including Professor John Obafunwa, the Chief Pathologist, following the collection of their DNA samples and that at no time were they informed that the samples had been compromised, destroyed, or that there was a need for re-sampling.

He said Pelumi’s parents were willing and available to give evidence on oath to that effect, should the court consider it necessary.

Mr. Adamu argued that in the light of the provisions of the Coroner’s Law of Lagos State, particularly those mandating the reporting and investigation of sudden, violent, or unnatural deaths within the jurisdiction where such deaths occur, the court should consider whether appropriate consequential orders were required to ensure that the inquest was conducted in strict compliance with the law, including as it related to the proper custodial and jurisdictional handling of the body.

The Coroner however observed that although the issue of the DNA samples was material, the primary and immediate concern of the court was the identification, location, and production of the body which was the central subject of the inquest proceedings.

The coroner added that based on information before it, the body had been transferred from LASUTH to another facility, reportedly in the Yaba area of Lagos.

She stressed that the resolution of the question concerning the whereabouts of the body was fundamental to the progress of the inquest and that issues relating to DNA analysis, though important, could be revisited once there was clarity regarding the custody and status of the body.

Mr. Adamu proposed that, in the interest of an expeditious determination of the matter, the efforts to locate and produce the body, as well as the necessary steps relating to the DNA analysis or re-sampling, should be pursued simultaneously.

The Coroner agreed with the suggestion and stressed the need to get direct clarification from all relevant institutions, particularly in light of the apparent inconsistencies in the accounts provided by LASUTH.

She said she was willing to take relatively short adjournments in the matter in order to ensure prompt compliance with her directives and to avoid undue delay in the administration of justice.

Mr. Adamu therefore applied to the court to direct the Chief Medical Director of the facility in Yaba, to which the body was transferred, to produce a comprehensive report concerning the body bearing Tag No. 1385, which it reportedly received from LASUTH.

The Coroner ruled that, consequent upon the report by LASUTH, the Chief Medical Director of the Yaba facility was ordered to produce a detailed report on the whereabouts and status of the body with Tag No. 1385, within 14 days of service of the order.

She thereafter adjourned the matter to April 28, 2026.

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The post Onifade: LASUTH claims journalist’s body could not be identified appeared first on Frontpageng.

To mount the podium as Guest Speakers are two internationally acclaimed genetic experts, Emeritus Prof Olufunmilayo Adebambo who retired from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, and Prof Ikhide Imumorin, who is based in the United States of America.

Sunday October 12, 2025 is the D-Day for the global online discourse which holds at 8 p.m. via Zoom and to be broadcast live on six radio stations across Lagos, Ogun and Delta states.

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With an incredibly large online followership and wide listenership base, Boiling Point Arena is hosted by a media professional and public relations strategist, Dr Ayo Arowojolu.

This 36th episode, a special 3rd Anniversary edition, is titled: “Genetic Revelations: Unravelling the Conundrum of Paternity Disputes in Modern Families.”

The duo of Prof Adebambo and Prof Imumorin are to offer insightful scientific perspectives on the issue of DNA otherwise called, Deoxyribonucleic acid, which is the molecule or hereditary material that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism.

Expectedly, the discussants will also raise the bar of narratives on paternity testing and its emotional fallouts on family dynamics and the way forward for affected couples.

The two experts are well grounded on the issue of discourse with Prof Adebambo’s pedigree as the first female Professor of Animal Breeding, Genetics and Biotechnology.

For his part, Prof Imumorin is of the California State University and also Chief Executive Officer, AfricanBio Medical Tests Ltd.

Foremost traditional ruler, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Prof Saka Matemilola is the Keynote Speaker and Chair to herald the discourse in a fortnight time.

A well-publicized discourse, Boiling Point Arena will be broadcast live on WASH 94.9FM, Sweet 107.1FM, Roots 97.1FM, Erimbe 94.7FM, Women Radio 91.7FM and Kruzz 92.9FM as well as a cable television, NSTV on GoTV channel 316.

Boiling Point is a news and general interest group comprising eminent personalities including over 300 professors, media professionals, technocrats, industry leaders, High Court Justices, traditional rulers, security top shots and several others.

The post Boiling Point: Experts set to discuss DNA, paternity conflicts appeared first on Frontpageng.

This DNA problem is steadily becoming a problematic epidemic, isn’t it? It is querying the integrity of our men’s manhood and stripping our women of their belts of chastity.  Even good wives are being subjected to bombastic side eye when their husbands think they are not looking. Hitherto regarded great wives are now being looked at suspiciously, with daddies checking out the noses, nails and hairlines of their sons and skin tones of their daughters to see if they match those of their living and dead ancestors. Home-made DIY (do-it-yourself) DNA all over the place. Husbands who have been itching to pick a fight with their wives are making snide remarks targeted at hitting their wives below the belt. Trust issues are marking territories in even calm homes.

Are women now more wayward than before or is it science that is blowing modern wind to expose the rump of the hen? Are there really more ‘bastards’ than the ‘children of husbands’ in many homes these days? Are women opening their legs for their concubines under their fertile moons and luring their husbands to incubate eggs they did not fertilize? Is there a more deadly way to stab a man in the back than to make him father a child that is not his and make him raise children that are not from his loins?

You think I’m asking too many questions? You’ll be shocked at the number of those questions that are running around in my head. And it’s not just the regular ‘how did things get this bad?’ question. There are many other worrisome, deeply threatening ones.

Question 1: For instance, is it true that more and more men are being helped by their wives to become daddies and is it not a foolish and foolhardy sacrifice for a woman to make?

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I know love is sweet. Very sweet. That feeling of wanting to do anything for your partner and seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses. Yes, we all have felt cupid’s arrow a few times but reality is reality. Marriage is a marathon and if you are going to make it to the finish line, you must not take on baggage that will slow you down at any point in the race. I know those who have found themselves ‘covering their husband’s shame’ of no-sperm-count, low-sperm-count or outright impotence will accuse me of calling myself a warrior when I have not been faced with a fierce battle.  Eni ija o ba nii pe ara re l’okunrin. It is easy to call yourself a strong man until life challenges you to a fight. But I do not think it is wise for a woman to step out of her marriage to make babies for her husband. No, it is not smart. It is short-sighted. It is dangerous in the long run for all concerned. It is even worse if it is without the man’s consent. Don’t we all know how men are when they catch their women with other men? Ah, they expect women to forgive them 70 times, indeed all the days of their philandering lives. But if their wives are caught dropping their pants once and letting another nozzle fill their tanks, liquid fire is brought down with Amadioha’s rage in tow. Some men are already cursing just reading this. So you see, if a man can flip, beat his wife black and blue, ask for a divorce, take a second wife even when all the woman has done is step out for an ‘ordinary dry run’, how can you now go to another man four times or four different men for a ‘wet run’ to bring him four children and expect no dire consequences? Even if it is with his consent and you sealed the agreement with a blood oath, you do not know what tomorrow will bring. Dear Desperate Wife, do not ‘help’ your husband make babies. Do not play God. Do not let your heart override your head just because you have convinced yourself only you can bail him out of his infertility predicament. There are other ways and means.

Question 2:What if a woman goes berserk because she’s wrongly accused?

Uncle Tunji (don’t ask for his surname) accused his wife of importing the only son of their marriage from her ex-boyfriend’s loins. According to Uncle Tunji, ‘I regret till today accusing my wife of bringing home a bastard. No, we did not have a DNA test that said the boy was not mine. I had warned her several times to sever all ties with her ex, but she continued to see him, saying that they were purely business-related meetings. Somehow, I started seeing a resemblance between him and my son. Jealousy started playing games with my mind but I was too angry to acknowledge that I was just being mean. During one of our quarrels, the accusation just rolled off my tongue and before you could say paternity test, my wife had stripped herself naked, right there in front of me. She swore that God should take away her joy if another man had seen her nakedness since she became my wife and that if I’d accused her wrongly, God should judge me. I was shocked and shaken. That week, I lost my job and my health has steadily worsened since then.

Guys, do not accuse a faithful woman of infidelity or father-switching. You are not allowed to do DNA test with your eyes. It could ruin everything. Do not join the DNA multitude to do evil.

Question 3: What if the ‘home daddy’ refuses to let go of the children to their ‘real daddies’?

Sometimes, lies are kinder than the truth and some secrets should be kept forever. Am I right or right?

I have heard some men say they will never release children they have loved and raised to some strange sperm donors and I can see where they are coming from. I do not envy them. To just wake up one morning and find out your son is no longer your son or that your daughter is now your pastor’s daughter. Who wants to be in their shoes? But then, what does the law say about custody in that situation? What does tradition say about who a father is in the life of a child? The same way Uncle Tunji’s wife went spiritual when she was accused of father-switching, is it not also possible for a deceived and robbed father and husband to go to the extreme in pain and disappointment? What if he has the wherewithal to take the child or children away, far away, to Australia, away from Mr Sperm Donor? This is Nigeria, you know, where porous borders will annul court-ordered custody. What if the children are grown and can decide who they want to be with? Doesn’t that raise another set of posers? Why will they choose who they choose?

Then finally, in this season of Japa and relocation, what if two ‘siblings’ end up dating in Canada, thousands of miles from where their ‘parents’ switched their fathers and a daughter is impregnated by her brother? What then?

Whether it is only one child that was sneaked into the house or four or all the children in the house have different fathers, this DNA trouble has only further worsened an already beleaguered and threatened marriage institution and I am wondering if the fallout of finding out true paternities is worth the trouble. Or am I just adopting an escapist attitude? I am wondering if it is better to just let sleeping dogs lie. Sometimes, lies are kinder than the truth and some secrets should be kept forever. Am I right or right?

*Egbemode (egbemode3@gmail.com)

The post INTIMATE AFFAIRS: DNA: Should some secrets be kept forever? appeared first on Frontpageng.

The narrative now is akin to a situation in which the cheated is being blamed, the guilty is defended and the victims being vindicated. In this wise, Justice Anthony Okorodas, who was allegedly cheated and betrayed by his former wife, Barrister Celia J. Ototo, is now being vilified for being “selfish,” being economical with the truth and for damaging the public image of his innocent children for nothing but showmanship, grandstanding and self righteousness. The presumed “guilty” in this case, Celia Ototo, is being defended against what some people observe as “not giving her the privilege to state her own side of the story.” Nobody does anything without a reason. She must definitely have her reasons. By the contents of Okorodas’ statement, his estranged ex-wife deserves to be taken to the Golgotha for her alleged sacrilegious acts. The victims in this family messy situation are the children. They didn’t choose their parents, nativity, and when or where they were born but are now being subjected to public ridicule, a stigma that some, if not all of them, will carry as a cross for the rest of their lives.

Critics took a swipe at Okorodas for being an attention seeker whose outburst is seen as unfair and disparagingly unfatherly to his children.

Critics took a swipe at Okorodas for being an attention seeker whose outburst is seen as unfair and disparagingly unfatherly to his children. The main question many are asking is that “Why must he make his family issue public?” Is he the only man with the painful burden of paternity fraud? Who is he that addressing a press conference over his DNA results should become a breaking news?  There is suggestive notion that he wanted to disparage his ex-wife in order to earn public sympathy and to let the children know that he’s not their biological dad because of how he would share his estate in his will.

The thought line of several readers since last weekend till now appears unanimous. The direction of people’s opinions signals that a robust evaluation of issues is necessary to avoid a kind of backlash Okorodas is getting now.

A university don, Dr. Henry Hunjo of Lagos State University feels the judge’s reaction was to curry favour and sympathy with a tinge of emotional blackmail without hearing from the other side. He posits that such occurrences are not new in our society. He stated inter alia: “These experiences are not new. I’ve heard of these stories from my old folks as a growing child. I don’t underestimate the humiliating feelings that envelope one as soon as one discovers that a partner in a marriage violates the fidelity laws once or in multiple times. Be that as it may, we often hear one side of the story most of the times, sympathising with the victims but never patient enough to hear from the other person, the woman. Even in the judge’s press briefing, the offending woman has been reported to have walked away from the marriage. There’s no indication of her expressed reasons or conditions.

“I know that objectivity becomes backgrounded so much that there will be no chance to hear the side of the story.  My view, though a minority one, and may not be acceptable but promotes peace, is that a cheating woman has reasons she cannot explain. The same is true of a cheating man. Therefore, it’s really hard to hear the truth but it’s better to accept the children of the union and look elsewhere about paternity. When these children, minor human beings, grow, they’ll appreciate the caring parents. Let’s be careful with DNA notwithstanding that I vehemently oppose infidelity.”

A special school proprietor in Lagos, Liz, descended heavily on Justice Okorodas for being unkind to his children. She couldn’t contain her displeasure about the whole scenario. “From time immemorial men have been fathering children outside their marriages and forcing, yes, forcing their legally married wives to accept them. Nobody hears of these cases. It’s not published in the dailies or on social media. But when a woman does same, it’s called sacrilegious, and all other big grammar that requires a dictionary. Do I approve of adultery? No. In both sexes, it’s a deal breaker for me.

“But the man went on record to tell the world that three innocent children were illegitimate. These children have a life, they have friends and colleagues. He has tainted their future with a tarred brush. Mr. Judge’s action is condemnable. To hell with him and his support and training. If he dies today, those children will succeed.

“It is unfortunate that people will forever see these children as ‘bastards.’ Social media lasts forever. Their own children will be born, grow up and read the story. The judge is a bad man and I pray he reaps the sour fruits of his deed so soon. Nonsense!

“I guess he’s one of many men prancing around with premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction, which, I’m sure the judge has, hence the woman (ex-wife Barr. Celia Ototo) went outside to get her groove on. I’ve said my own.”

In his reaction, Frank Tietie, a human rights lawyer and Executive Director, Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER), berated the judge by describing his action as grossly “irresponsible and selfish” for denouncing the paternity of his children publicly, adding that the action is highly selfish and seriously harmful to the dignity and general psyche of the children involved.

The narrative now is akin to a situation in which the cheated is being blamed, the guilty is defended and the victims being vindicated.

The fiery lawyer further expressed his disapproval for the unfatherly action by describing it as utterly illegal. His statement reads further: “The public disclosure of the contents of such DNA test results to the public is most reprehensible. Why would any man subject a child or children born within wedlock to such psychologically debilitating encounter, foisting such traumatic experience that will permanently scar the self-esteem of such children, especially older ones, for life? It is utterly cruel and selfish!

“It is plain wickedness that is vindictive and propelled by crude vengeance. It must be condemned. Let it be known that by our law, in Nigeria, particularly, Section 165 of the Evidence Act, provides that all children that are born during the continuance of a valid marriage between their mother and any man, or within 280 days after the dissolution of the marriage, so long as the mother remains unmarried, the law and the court shall presume that such children in question are the legitimate children of that man.”

From the Mailbox

Re: How to Manage DNA Trauma

Your exposition on the success story of “strange blood” in some families is very true. My mother told me a story of someone like that in our family and that could be the only logical reason behind him. There was no DNA test confirmation but he has a different glory, positive character, etc. While such children may not actually be calculated efforts on the part of their ignorant mothers to end a lingering spiritual bondage in their family lineage, God in His divine mercy may use such human errors to bless an entire generation. King Solomon the Wise was also a product of an unplanned (or adulterous) relationship. It is very real, sir. God bless you. -Eric Adegbite, Ijebu Ode.

Don’t you think that Barr. Celia J. Ototo might have been a victim of labour room antics you wrote about recently on how babies are being swapped? If not the whole three but one or two. The DNA test should be discouraged except a situation where the woman categorically says the husband is not the father of the child or children. – 07035961555.

*West wrote via mikeawe@yahoo.co.uk 08059964446

The post Paternity fraud: Justice Okorodas on ‘trial’, By Michael West appeared first on Frontpageng.

In 1998, a woman had a one-night-stand with a visiting Nigerian man from the US. Hoping to earn some dollars for the first time in her life, the married mother of three lied to her husband by giving an excuse to stay outside over the night. Two losses hit her, she didn’t get dollars and she was sexually scammed by the Yankee who, after the all-night romp, promised to “see” her later saying he had no “cash at hand.” He gave her N200 (Two hundred naira) for transport. She wept bitterly for her naivety and stupidity. Carelessly though, the romp led to a pregnancy which a DNA test later exposed. The sad part of her story is that she had never been involved in extramarital sex before that time. She got enticed through her club members who flaunted their flashy looks and money they earned through such dates. She got enticed into it when she was told that a new “arrival” was in town. These were women in their 30s and 40s at the time. Almost all of them were married. They had perfected their ways of managing their extramarital affairs without leaving rooms for suspicion by their husbands. Not knowing that her friends had fortified themselves against what they termed “accidental discharge,” she went into sexual misadventure innocently and carelessly.

Poverty and needy conditions do make women vulnerable and susceptible to sexual advances. It is also possible that marital crisis could give room for such vulnerable women to seek “happiness” elsewhere.

Poverty and needy conditions do make women vulnerable and susceptible to sexual advances. It is also possible that marital crisis could give room for such vulnerable women to seek “happiness” elsewhere. All these instances are veritable avenues for having “illegitimate” children in families.

A caller who chose to be anonymous said she decided to share her own experience as a dimension to the DNA narrative. Last Saturday morning call was bizarre but real.

“I ventured into extramarital affairs when my husband hurt and betrayed me. I endured all manner of maltreatment and neglect. We had two children when he changed. He stopped providing for the home. He started keeping late nights and eventually began to pass nights outside the home. I tried all I could to make things return to normal but to no avail. His family members waded into the matter, yet, he wouldn’t change. So, I let him be. I have my salaried job in place and my business by the side. I made up my mind to feed the family and take care of the children. For two consecutive years I paid the rent and children’s school fees while he was actively living as my husband and father of our children. All this while, he was earning his salaries regularly but for three years, he contributed nothing to the family. Even the outrageous estimated electricity bills, I was paying.

“I found out later that he had raised another family elsewhere and the woman has got a child for him. Initially I wanted to fight but I let go after all, it is his own responsibility. What he failed to do at home he will surely do it there. One day, he asked me to lend him some money which I declined because he was making a fool of me by collecting my money to augment the situation at the other end. Till date, he didn’t own up to me that he has another family elsewhere. Since you don’t feed me and my children, it is improper for you to exploit me for another woman.

“For my refusal to give him money, he started beating me. Twice I was admitted in the hospital as a result of his assaults. The house we jointly built, he demanded for the documents which he had asked me to keep not knowing that one of his close friends had alerted me not to release any original documents to him because he wanted to sell the property. My refusal to submit the documents further earned me the beating of my life.

“I started having an affair when he completely abandoned me. He slept with me sparingly. This is a man that I lost count of the number of his sexual activities in the bedroom on weekly basis. So, I took in for my lover and I decided to keep it. He, too, slept with me about same time, thus he couldn’t deny the pregnancy. He fought me for getting pregnant again but I didn’t bother.

“Somehow, he caught his other woman with another man in their matrimonial bed. That was how he decided to conduct DNA tests on all his children and the last child was found negative among my children. As I speak with you, I have no regret for doing it. For two years, he forced me to pay bills for children I didn’t know he has and he still went ahead to beat me at slightest point of arguments. One of the two children from his lady friend was not his, too.”

“I took in for my lover and I decided to keep it. He, too, slept with me about same time, thus he couldn’t deny the pregnancy. He fought me for getting pregnant again but I didn’t bother.”

Child swapping at maternity wards in public and private hospitals is another source of negative DNA results. This column has treated the issue of child swapping in 2019. Also, some results could be faulty. There are few cases where DNA tests were required to be done in more than one or two laboratories to authenticate the correct results. In both cases, there’s a way you will know that the women involved are truly innocent. I will reveal the details to those who find themselves in the situation.

“DNA almost ruined my home,” another caller who showered praises on his wife said. According to him, “I trust my wife, so, I find it difficult to believe the result when it turned negative that I was not my child’s biological father. I told a friend who recommended another laboratory but more expensive for me. The outcome was different from the first one. I needed one more test from another lab to validate which of the two results was genuine. My friend recommended another laboratory run by foreigners. There, the latter result was confirmed. That was how I regained peace of mind. My home was almost in ruins as a result. Thanks to God that I was patient and ready to satisfy my curiosity. So, it is better to use more than one labs to validate results. I’m talking from experience.”

From the Mailbox

Re: DNA: Nemesis of infidelity

DNA tests, paternity issues, I think people should just let things be and live their lives in peace, happiness, and stop stressing themselves. – Patience Dale, Abuja.

I think these results may be faulty like those faulty scan results we got in my wife’s scan case. She was finally delivered of a set of twins not one as majority of the scan test results affirmed. A nurse in an African country on her death bed confessed that she swapped over 5000 babies while in practice. Based on the above therefore, I wish to submit that this DNA be discarded and put behind us because of the uncertainty of results sometimes. People should stop creating unnecessary and unwarranted tension over DNA issues in the society. – Chief E. Diadenaru, Abuja

*West wrote via mikeawe@yahoo.co.uk 08059964446

The post DNA: ‘I avenged his betrayal, assaults’, By Michael West appeared first on Frontpageng.

Short videos reeling out shocking revelations and confessions in which adults in their 30s were being told point blank that they were actually fathered by men other than who they grew up to know as their ‘biological’ dads are still going viral on social media. These unholy scenarios happened across races, colours, nations and tongues. The surprising thing is that Nigerians featured in one of such videos where a well-suited 30-something year-old Nigerian man who said his mother had called him on telephone earlier to say she has a confession to make regarding his paternity. He was shattered when his DNA result was announced that the man he knew as his father from birth was not his biological father. The stout, good looking dad in his 60s broke down into inconsolable tears on a television show. What a pain!

The decisions of the adult children caught in the web of paternity quagmires are the most important and ultimate determinant. Thousands of DNA results cannot change the choices of grownups about who they accept as dads. This is where the consolation lies.

In another DNA live television show, a young woman of about 29 or 32 years old burst into tears when the DNA result showed that her dad from birth was not her biological dad. While consolidating her devastated and chubby daughter, her mom admitted knowing her “real” father when the show host asked if she knew who was responsible for her pregnancy. Surprisingly, she wasn’t remorseful about her action. The white mother in her late 50s had kept the secret till when her estranged husband has waxed too old to venture into baby making business. The old man was seen collapsing on the sofa where he was watching the oddity on the television. All these videos emanated from live television series in Europe and America.

In 2016, a Jamaican beheaded his wife, Karen Rainford, when he discovered through DNA test results that none of the six children was his. Karen, according to media reports, confessed to infidelity which produced the entire six children and begged for forgiveness. Maybe Mr. Rainford would have forgiven his promiscuous wife but when he remembered how she pestered and embarrassed him several times in public over the care and welfare of the children, he decided to judge the case in his own gruesome and fatal way by beheading his unfaithful wife.

Back home in Nigeria, the story may not be any different. A man died two years ago on account of discovering that his wife was not only cheating on him but told him pointedly during a brawl that “It is better for you to look for another woman that will give you children while you still have the strength to make babies.” She said so because “Latter day discovery that will shock you is under your roof.” He asked to know what his wife actually meant. One day, someone called to ask if his family wanted to relocate overseas because he saw his wife with the children at the embassy.  Confronting his wife over her visit to the embassy without his knowledge was the genesis of their separation. He later discovered that none of the four children was his. He couldn’t recover from the shock before his health condition worsened and he died five years later.

DNA test results have been a source of deep-seated hostility and intense acrimony in some large and polygamous families. Sometimes men of old knew when they were being cheated by their wives who gave them  pregnancies that were not theirs. They feigned ignorance of the ‘smartness’ displayed by their women by playing along calmly in wisdom and maturity just to protect their name, status and public image. And, also to avoid rancour in their homes during their lifetime. By so doing, they staved off controversy and scandal that could rubbish their public images. They usually bare their minds either in written documents or by the way they shared their estates. These are some of the reasons some wills are subjects of litigation in the courts of law.

I have read some scientific reports flying around on why some negative DNA results could be misleading. There’s also another explanation on the possibility of how negative DNA results could not mean illegitimacy of the child whose paternity is under investigation. According to one of such scientific analyses, there’s a particular condition called “Chimerism.” It’s just one of those flukes of nature. This condition makes whoever that has it to have two different sets of DNA in them. When a woman is pregnant with twins, if the twins are fraternal twins, i.e they were fertilized from two different eggs, sometimes, one of these embryo dies early in the womb and the surviving embryo then absorbs his or her twin’s cells, making the surviving twin to be born as a single baby carrying its own DNA and that of the twin that didn’t survive.

There are many great parents in our society who enjoy immense care in cash, kind, warmth and presence including diverse celebrations just for being foster parents to many great and grateful children. There’s more to life than DNA results.

The pregnant woman and her husband will never know that the single child born to them was actually a fraternal twin whose brother or sister didn’t survive but whose DNA and cells were absorbed by the surviving child. Such individuals are called “Chimeras.”

Now if such an individual grows up and has a child, it’s very possible that the child will not take his or her own DNA but that of the other twin that has been absorbed. So if a DNA test is done for the child born by a Chimera, it will turn negative whereas he is the authentic parent! The Chimeras are not so common but they exist in their numbers, nonetheless. Who knows if a few of the cases shrouded in mystery are indeed those of Chimeras?

In response to last week’s column, some readers asked if I was telling men to just accept any child as theirs because I advised men against “chasing shadows” in their bid to ascertain the paternity of their children. My take on it is that we have just one life to live. We should not allow anything that can lead us to early grave to exist in our lives. I agree that adoption is a different matter entirely because it is consensual. On both cases cited above, the betrayed dads promised to remain the real dads to their children regardless of the DNA results. That’s the way to go. It was a decision and pronouncement made in tears and in resolute conviction but that was the best way to respond to such heart-breaking discoveries. However, there’s a way to identify innocent women whose children’s DNA results turn negative. That gist is available for those who find themselves in such dilemma.

On the final note, the decisions of adult children caught in the web of paternity quagmires are the most important and ultimate determinant. Thousands of DNA results cannot change the choices of grownups about who they accept as dads. This is where the consolation lies. Yoruba says “eni omo si lo bimo” literally means ‘the real parent is the person who is accorded a befitting burial in death.’ This has nothing to do with biological link or blood line. There are many great parents in our society who enjoy immense care in cash, kind, warmth and presence including diverse celebrations just for being foster parents to many great and grateful children. There’s more to life than DNA results.

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The move marks the start of a historic vaccination campaign aimed at checking a raging virus that is killing no fewer than 2,000 Americans daily.

Officials say the government is aiming to inoculate no fewer than 100 million or 30 per cent of the country’s population by the end of March, 2021.

According to Reuters, trucks loaded with the first shipment left the Pfizer factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Sunday evening under tight security.

Hospitals are reportedly preparing to administer the first shots, first to high-risk health care workers, nursing home residents and staff.

The federal government is coordinating the distribution of the vaccine to 600 locations nationwide under its Operation Warp Speed programme.

Director of the programme, Dr Moncef Slaoui, told Fox News that the country was targeting the delivery of 40 million vaccine doses, enough for 20 million people, by the end of December.

However, there are challenges, including widespread hesitancy by members of the public based on the fear that the vaccine would alter deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Noting that the government was “very concerned” about the public reluctance, Slaoui said it was important that Americans took the vaccine.

Among experts trying to allay the public fear is Dr Onyema Ogbuagu, a Nigerian-American infectious disease researcher at Yale University, U.S.

Ogbuagu told participants in a virtual forum on COVID-19 on Saturday that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine would be the “final nail on the coffin” for the virus.

“I want to be very clear on this, messenger mRNA vaccine does not enter the nucleus.

“They don’t incorporate into the host DNA and so there should be no concerns about it altering human genomes.

“It does not alter DNA; it doesn’t make you a zombie; it doesn’t alter your genetic makeup and we don’t expect any interference with that,” he said.

Source: NAN

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