A Delta State High Court judge Anthony Okorodas says DNA tests have revealed he is not the biological father of three children from his former wife Celia Ototo.
The judge who was appointed in 2018 disclosed this in a statement on January 28. The statement only went viral online on Monday.
The judge said his former wife walked away from the marriage when the youngest child, now 17 years old, was just six.
He said he was forced to take DNA test after getting a tip from an anonymous source during the COVID-19-induced lockdown in April 2020 that the last of the three children from his ex-wife was not his.
The DNA test was not done until August 2020, he said.
“The DNA test result which came out in September 2020 confirmed that I was not the biological father of the child,” he said.
Mr Okorodas said he convened a meeting with both families over the issue.
He added, “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.”
The judge said the incident forced him to take DNA tests on the four children he has with his current wife Ebi Okorodas, which confirmed the children were his.
He said he would continue fending for the three children from his ex-wife, two of whom are university undergraduates.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
