Claim: Home DNA test kit now costs £4.99.
Verdict: MOSTLY TRUE. While it is true a home DNA test kit that costs £4.99 exists, there is more to the kit because an extra £99 must be paid to get the result.
Full Text
Paternity fraud has become a common issue of discussion in Nigeria, especially on social media, with numerous stories of infidelity.
Recently, an image of a DNA test kit went viral, suggesting there would be conflicts as testing for the paternity of a child has been made easy and affordable.
A WhatsApp user shared the screenshot of a Tweet by Naija_PR with the comment, “there will be sorrow, tears and blood.”
The original tweet by Naija @Naija_PR shared on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, has garnered 1,583 retweets, 245 quote tweets, and over 7,000 likes.
The image of the home DNA test kit, which seemed to have been taken on the shelf of a store, shows the kit costs £4.99.
A Twitter user UGOEZE @AkunneChinyere4 tweeted the image with the caption, “Home DNA test kit is just £4, which is about #2000. Do with this information as you will.”
Another user Nnaemeka Ekele @nnaemekaekele, in his tweet, suggests this kit will destroy homes.
“Just £5 for a DNA test. This kit will destroy a lot of homes, but it’s a good thing people should know because of things that happen around us every day,” his tweet reads.
The same image was shared with similar narratives on Facebook by Gistlover, Ibadan info and digitv.live.
Days ago, GistReel.Com shared the same image asking if users would purchase this kit.
The virality and significance of this claim prompted us to verify it.
Verification
A reverse image search on the image of the test kit revealed this image is that of the AlphaBiolabs DNA test collection kit. A report by Mirror.co.uk reports that Home Bargains, a shopping outlet, is selling this product.
AlphaBiolabs DNA test kit
The AlphaBiolabs DNA home paternity testing kit, which costs £4.99, requires a £99 processing charge, which must be paid directly to AlphaBiolabs.
The kit includes cheek swabs and consent forms, which must be signed and posted to the laboratory. Results are ready the next working day after receiving the samples at the laboratory and are usually emailed password-protected for additional security.
This DNA collection kit can also be used for maternity, sibling, grandparent, Y chromosome, twin, single profile, and aunt and uncle DNA testing. It contains enough swabs to test for a biological relationship between two people.
How much does a standard DNA test cost in Nigeria?
According to smartdna.com, different DNA tests are conducted, and the cost varies.
For a non-invasive prenatal paternity DNA test in Nigeria, the cost ranges from N800,00 to N1.5 million, depending on the clinic. A non-invasive prenatal paternity DNA test is used to determine whether a potential father is the biological father of a baby before the baby is born.
On the other hand, a standard immigration and legal paternity DNA test in Nigeria ranges from N200,000 to 300,000, depending on the clinic.
So the kit, which costs £4.99, is about N2,694, and the processing fee of £99 is N53,460, using the current foreign exchange rate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (N540).
While this is cheaper than standard DNA tests in Nigeria, it is still on the high side for the average Nigerian.
Conclusion
While it is true a home DNA test kit that costs £4.99 exists, there is more to the kit because an extra £99 must be paid to get the result.
