A judge of the Delta State High Court, Anthony Okorodas, has said DNA tests have recently revealed that he is not the biological father of three children from his marriage with his former wife.
Mr Okorodas, who was appointed a judge in 2018, disclosed this in a statement which he issued on Thursday, January 28.
The judge in the statement which only circulated online on Monday, said his former wife, Celia, walked away from the marriage when the youngest child, now 17 years old, was just six.
Mr Okorodu, who described the development as traumatic, said he and his current wife had been wholly responsible for the well-being and the education of the three children, two of whom are university undergraduates, since their mother walked away 11 years ago.
Mr Okorodas, who noted that he had had four children with his current wife, said he first got information from an anonymous source indicating that the three children were not his during the COVID-19 lockdown in April 2020.
He, however, said he was only able to confirm the claim to be true through the DNA test in August 2020.
He stated, “I have taken the decision to address the press in respect of certain traumatic developments that have arisen between me and my ex-wife, Barrister Celia Juliet Ototo of the Ototo Family of Ovom in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
“It is now nearly 11 years since our separation and divorce. This press statement is important in order to prevent damaging speculations, half-truths and outright lies from persons who may want to cash in on the tragedy that has befallen my home.
“Sometime during the coronavirus lockdowns early last year, I received information from an anonymous source that indicated that the last of the three children from my previous marriage was in fact not my biological child.
“Due to the COVID 19 restrictions at the time, I had to wait until August 2020 to carry out a DNA test.
“The DNA test result which came out in September 2020 confirmed that I was not the biological father of the child.”
He said following the result of the first DNA result, he convened a joint meeting between his extended family on the one side, and Celta’s paternal and maternal families – the Ototo Family of Ovom Town and the Agbagidi Family of Yenagoa Town – on the other side, where he “confronted her with the paternity fraud allegation”.
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.
“This abomination has caused excruciating mental trauma to me, my present wife, Barrister (Mrs) Ebi Okorodas and all of the innocent children involved.”
‘Four children from my current wife confirmed to be mine’
He said following the development his current wife, “had to agree to having DNA tests on the four children of our own marriage.”
“Thankfully, the test results confirm each of them to be my biological child,” Mr Okorodas added.
‘I’ll not stop taking care of my ex-wife’s children’
He said despite the outcome of the DNA tests, he would continue to see to the wellbeing and the education of his ex-wife’s children.
He stated, “It is important to state that Celia walked away from the marriage when her youngest child (who is now 17 years of age) was just six years old.
“Since then, all of her children have lived with my wife, Ebi and I, and we have been wholly responsible for their wellbeing and education.
“Friends who are close to my family would readily attest to the fact that unless specifically informed, no one could tell that the children were not the biological children of my present wife.
“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.
“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 4″ year of study. We pray for them to overcome the trauma and become responsible citizens of our country.
“For Celia and her boyfriend or boyfriends, we leave them to their conscience.”
