DETERMINATION OF SEX FROM FOOTPRINT DIMENSIONS AMONG NUPE ETHNIC GROUP IN MINNA NIGER STATE

ABSTRACT

Determination of personal identity is a basic and pivotal step in forensic investigations and medico legal practices. In anthropological cases, forensic identification is generally carried out through examination of the body or the remains for prints from the body. Thus, the footprint becomes an invaluable index of identification particularly when the whole body is very badly mutilated. This study was carried out to determine the relationship between footprint dimensions and sex among individuals of Nupe ethnic group of Niger State. Sample size of four hundred and twenty one (421) subjects, two hundred and eighty three (283) males and one hundred and thirty eight (138) females were used in this study. The footprints were gotten by placing the volunteers' foot on the ink pad and it was then transferred on an A4 paper, where the footprint dimensions were later measured with a meter rule. The results of this study show that sex differences were highly significant using toe lengths and breadth (P? 0.01) but the footprint indices shows no statistical significance. Footprint dimension is sexually dimorphic. Footprint dimensions can be used to determine sex in addition to or in absence of skeletons such as long bones and skull. It can be applied in forensics for medico legal cases, shoe designing, fashion design and industrial design to optimize products