Paternity Fraud in Nigeria: Examining the Legal Framework and Dispute Resolution Mechanisms

Paternity fraud is a surreptitious threat silently ravages families in Nigeria, leaving scars of emotional wreckage, financial devastation and socio-cultural upheaval. As DNA evaluation becomes increasingly accessible, shocking unmasking of infidelity and deception shatters the façade of unsuspecting families and communities. This study examines legal framework and dispute resolution mechanisms addressing paternity fraud in Nigeria, revealing the gaps and limitations in paternity fraud handling. The theoretical framework for this study are: Social exchange theory, deception theory and legal pluralism theory. The study embraced the qualitative designed approach as it focused on analyzing secondary data sourced from articles, journals, documents and relevant texts. The study findings reveal that Nigeria’s legal framework lacks specific provisions addressing paternity deception, relying on civil laws and DNA evaluation, it identifies various challenges in dispute resolution, to include: limited access to DNA analysis, cultural and social pressures, inadequate legal representation, issues of emotional complexities, lack of awareness of parties rights in the resolutions, issue of power inequality. The study recommends need for legal reforms to explicitly recognize paternity fraud, introduce financial restitution provisions, religious advocacy, and community-led ethical initiatives can shift cultural attitudes and prevent dubious paternity claims, the need to strengthen dispute resolution mechanisms such as arbitration, to address paternity disputes, ensure children rights are protected and their right to know their biological parents, regulate assisted reproductive technology geared towards preventing paternity falsification, and the establishment of mental health support systems and mediation services will help mitigate the emotional and social consequences of paternity fraud.