Digital biometrics of face, eyes, nose and mouth of Fulanis of Ilorin in North Central Region of Nigeria
Adelaja Akinlolu1,*, Moshood Yusuf2, Gabriel Ebito3
1 Department of Anatomy, Federal University of Health Sciences Otukpo, Benue State, Nigeria
2 Department of Anatomy, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
3 Department of Anatomy, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria
Abstract
Facial cephalometry is of great relevance in forensic civil and criminal investigations. Nigeria is divisible into six distinct North-Central, North-East, North-West, South-East, South-South and South-West geopolitical regions. It is composed of over 250 ethnic groups with the Yorubas and Fulanis as arguably the second and fourth largest ethnic groups. There is paucity of studies which investigated three-dimensional facial cephalometry in Fulanis. Therefore, in order to further provide missing normative reference biometrics data of Fulanis of Nigeria, this study examined three-dimensional digital cephalometry biometrics of the face, eyes, nose and mouth in Fulanis in comparison with those of their neighboring Yorubas who are co-residents of Ilorin, Kwara State in the North Central region of Nigeria. Age, Height, Bodyweight and facial photographs of non-related 25 Fulani males and 25 Yoruba males whose ethnic groups were confirmed by three generations (paternal and maternal) were collected with informed consent. Three-dimensional biometric data of the antero-median aspects of the face, the eyes, nose and mouth were computed and statistically analyzed with p≤0.05. Overall, the findings of the present study showed that Fulanis are of Hyperleptoprosopic or very long narrow face type and Mesorrhine or medium nose type in contrast with Leptoprosopic or long narrow face type and Plattyrrhine or broad nose type of their neighboring Yorubas who are co-residents of Ilorin in Kwara State of the North Central region of Nigeria. In addition, the Fulanis are of smaller eye fissure width, but higher mouth width compared with their co-resident Yorubas.
Keywords: facial cephalometry, three-dimensional biometrics, Fulanis, Yorubas, Nigeria