Source: Africa Publicity
Former Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, has reportedly been arrested in South Africa and is said to be facing deportation.
A report by Sunday World says Adetshina was arrested earlier in June 2026 for allegedly living in South Africa illegally.
The report says the 25-year-old beauty queen appeared before the Cape Town regional court on June 9 after her arrest in the Summer Greens area.
Adetshina was released on warning and is scheduled to return to court in July as South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs pursues her removal from the country.
She has been in a citizenship dispute with authorities in the country since her participation in the Miss South Africa 2024 pageant. The controversy over her nationality sparked public debate at the time and she was forced to drop out of the pageant as a result, citing safety concerns for herself and her family.
However, Silverbird Group, organisers of Miss Universe Nigeria, invited her to participate, and she was crowned the pageant’s winner.
Adetshina represented Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant and was crowned the first runner-up, making history as the first Nigerian woman to take the second spot.
Born in Soweto to a Nigerian father of Igbo descent and a Mozambican mother, Adetshina’s legal status in South Africa has remained unclear. Her parents reportedly met in Johannesburg in the late 1990s and settled in Pimville.
In an affidavit, immigration officer, Adrian Jackson, says authorities had previously investigated Adetshina and confirmed through electronic systems and an interview that she and her minor son were residing in the country without lawful status.
