High Court Judge A.K. Musa has ordered a DNA test to determine the paternity of a child at the center of a legal dispute between Court of Appeal Justice Mohamed Alhaji Momoh-Jah Stevens and 21-year-old law student Edwina Hawa Jamiru.
Delivering the ruling in the Family and Probate Division, Justice Musa said the plaintiff had provided sufficient evidence to raise legitimate doubt about the child’s parentage. He concluded that a DNA test was necessary “in the best interest of the parties, especially the child.”
Justice Jah-Stevens filed the application on May 2, 2025, seeking confirmation of paternity under Section 83 of the Child Rights Act No. 7 of 2007. He requested that Jamiru and the child submit to testing, arguing that recent findings had cast doubt on his biological connection to the infant born on April 10, 2025.
His claim was supported by a supplemental affidavit that included three key exhibits, marked C1(1), C1(2), and C1(3). The first two were photographs showing Jamiru with another man: one where she leaned on his shoulder, and another where they were kissing. The third exhibit was a screenshot of a WhatsApp status allegedly posted by Jamiru, which read in part, “I can’t wait for us to get married. I wanna be yours forever, Peterson.”
During testimony, Jamiru admitted the photos were taken between December 2024 and January 2025, when she was heavily pregnant, but said the man in question was “just a friend.” She refused to comment on the WhatsApp message and opposed the DNA test, saying she “does not want same to be done.”
Justice Musa ruled that the evidence “would raise eyebrows” and provided a reasonable basis for the plaintiff’s doubt. He said it would be unjust to “turn a blind eye” and compel the plaintiff to maintain a child whose paternity he reasonably questioned.
Under the court’s order, samples from both mother and child will be collected and tested by a local and foreign accredited laboratory under the supervision of the Master and Registrar of the High Court. The judge directed that samples be taken “voluntarily or by force,” if necessary, and that the plaintiff bear all costs.
The DNA process must be completed by November 10, 2025, with results submitted within 14 days. The matter is adjourned to November 27, 2025, for the presentation of the results.
Justice Jah-Stevens, currently on administrative leave, is also under review by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission following public controversy over the case.
