Wetin dey behind di pressure and rush to do DNA and paternity test for children for Ghana?

Imagine say you dey plan to relocate abroad wit your three children only to find out for say two of dem no be your own?

Dat be di wahala and shock wey oga Jonas Sampi (no be im real name) discover for di last minute.

Di tin really shock am well well.

"I wan take my life dat time; dis be 2022. Me and my family dey devastated dat time; wey e take me more than one year to recover from di shock and disappointment," Jonas tok BBC pidgin.

Di couple dey married for 14 years – bifor dis tin happun, so di marriage scata afta truth comot.

"I neva suspect my wife say she dey cheat or anytin, so you fit imagine how di tin shock me."

But wetin push am to even tink of doing di DNA test in di first place?

"We get some family wahala when our papa die, so sake of di inheritance mata, dem make all his children do di DNA test, so I also just tok say make I do some for my own children too at once," di 42-year-old man wey be architect – explain.

He say he do two separate tests for different laboratories just say he go make sure if di results no be mistake.

Di two tests all show say di two children out of di three no be his own.

Jonas now cancel di plan to relocate wit di woman and di children; in fact, dat be how dia marriage end, despite say di woman's family apologize.

"Thru di support of my own family and therapy, tins beta small; now I dey inside my second marriage for almost two years wit one child."

For Jonas, "If you find out dis tins early, di beta for you bifor e go become too late."

Pipo dey do di DNA test for different reasons

Jonas be one of many men wey dey rush to do DNA tests for dia children recently sake of di rise in paternity fraud.

On top social media, pipo dey share gist about dia bitter experiences wit dia wives and partners for dis kind mata.

Especially since 2013 when ex-Ghana blackstars footballer Odartey Lamptey discover say all his three children wey he dey take of – no be his own, afta DNA/paternity test during his divorce case wit his wife for dia 20-year-old marriage.

Di former Aston Villa player say he almost pull gun when he get di result at dat time.

Odartey Lamptey tok local media network TV3 say pipo tok am say his wife dey cheat but as he begin to investigate wey his wife ask for divorce.

Dat be when he get advice to do di DNA test.

"Dem take di saliva of di children when dem dey school wey dem use for di test; in fact dem carry di samples also go South Africa for confirmation. Dat be how I find out say all di three children no be my own."

Despite di shock at di time, Odartey Lamptey say he try to recover – he divorce di first wife wey he marry again, now dem get two daughters

Dis case trend for Ghana wey e shake di football world for 2013, dat be how many husbands now begin to get interest for dis DNA and paternity test mata.

E dey popular now for Ghana and oda kontris, but apart from say pipo dey use DNA/paternity test sake of infidelity, oda reasons dey.

Pipo dey do DNA tests for immigration purposes – when dem dey want travel abroad. For di documentation process, dem go ask for DNA test for di pipo wey you list inside your document as relatives.

Anoda reason why pipo dey rush for DNA and paternity test, be when court ask dem to do di test to settle legal mata about children and who dey responsible for dia upkeep and maintenance during divorce.

Some facilities dey test up to 10 cases per day

Public data about di rise for DNA/paternity tests no dey available but various labs wey dey do dis tests say ova di last five years, di number of pipo wey dey demand dis tests increase.

Laboratory scientist for MMA Labs for Accra, Dr. Evans Fei tok BBC Pidgin say hundreds of pipo dey visit dia facility every year for dis DNA tests.

"Anywhere you go for social media, pipo dey test wey dem dey put dia results on top social media. Sake of dat, each year, di numbers dey rise."

Dr. Fei say "we no dey test less than 300 pipo every year. Di 300 be di pairs, but if you check am in singles, dat be 600 pipo for di year and each year e dey rise."

"Some days, we fit get like 10 cases for dis our lab, you can imagine. Wey we subsize di cost for our lab so many pipo fit afford am."

Oda facilities like blueprint DNA through dia 2022 research find say 70% of children dem test no relate biologically to dia fathers.

Dia test also find say 40% of men wey dem test, be victims of paternity fraud.

Dis means say seven out of every 10 children wey get papa, no be dia biological fathers; di mata wey experts say dey worry well well.

In Nigeria, data by one DNA testing facility Smart DNA dis year, show say one out of every four men wey dey come dia facility, no be di biological father of dia children.

Between 2023 and 2025, di figure of negative DNA test result by Smart DNA, dey range between 25% - 27%.

Oda facilities for di kontri also dey find high negative test results, wey dey put Nigeria as one of di kontris wit high rate of paternity fraud.

How pipo fit heal from di shock when dem discover negative results

For Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Sierra Leone and oda kontris for Africa, paternity fraud rates dey high, according to various DNA testing labs.

Paternity fraud no be crime for di kontris law book, many pipo tink say time reach for parliament to create one law for dis mata.

As pipo dey advocate for di legal aspect, more importantly, di victims and fathers wey dey discover dis shocking results also need help.

How dem fit recover and heal from di shock and trauma?

One pastor and family life coach Ato Acquah say dis stage dey very important – di period after di families get di negative results.

Di senior pastor for di Global dominion charismatic centre (GDCC) tok BBC Pidgin say di approach gatz to be holistic.

"Families wey experience paternity fraud gat to look beyond di disappointment and tink about di wellbeing of di child or children. If we overlook dis wey di mata become war between di couple, ibi di children wey dey suffer."

Pastor Ato Acquah explain say "e dey important say families go first allow time for healing. Dis healing neva dey happun at once."

"Let di anger happun, let di disappointment happun and all di emotional roller-coaster – make dem happun, wit di hope say no mata how painful di tin be, every wound fit heal," Pastor Acquah tok BBC Pidgin.

He also tok say therapy dey very necessary at dis time for di couple and dia family.

"Make you seek professional help. Some pipo dey decide to suffer in silence sake of di shame and wetin society go tok about dem, but ibi important for therapy and professional help. E fit take time, but las las di healing go come."