By Mike Cerutti
Nigerian Union Official Condems Humiliating Insults Hurled at Miss Universe Nigeria Chidinma Adetshina in Court Over Citizenship Case
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Another painful scene recently played out in South Africa this week, and this time it was aimed at Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidinma Adetshina
According to a top official of the Nigerian Union, the young queen was subjected to humiliating insults right inside a court in Cape Town while attending proceedings over questions around her right to citizenship.
The incident happened in Cape Town, the city where her father has lived for years. While the case was ongoing in court, some people in the gallery reportedly began shouting at her to “pack and go back to Nigeria.” The courtroom, a place meant for law and order, turned into a stage for xenophobic taunts directed at a Nigerian woman representing her country with pride.
Prince Olunloyo, a top official of the Nigerian Union, confirmed the development to us on phone last night. He described what happened as a “disheartening act” that should not be tolerated in a country that prides itself on democracy and the rule of law. According to him, attacking Chidinma in court while a legal matter is still pending is not just unfair, it is dangerous.
Prince Olunloyo went further to call for an open and immediate apology to Chidinma Adetshina. His argument is simple: if the matter is already in court, let the law decide. Subjecting her to public ridicule and verbal abuse does not solve anything. It only deepens division and sends the wrong message about South Africa’s commitment to fairness.
This is not the first time Nigerians in South Africa have faced hostility. From the 2019 attacks to several smaller incidents since, the tension between some South Africans and African migrants, especially Nigerians, has remained a sore point. Chidinma’s case now raises the question again: are we witnessing another wave of xenophobia disguised as frustration over immigration and identity?
Chidinma Adetshina has become a symbol beyond beauty pageants. After controversy around her participation in Miss SA last year, she returned to represent Nigeria and made the nation proud. To now see her dragged through insults in a foreign courtroom feels like punishment for simply being Nigerian and ambitious. That hurts, because she is not in court as a criminal. She is there seeking clarity on her citizenship rights.
The timing makes it worse. Africa is supposed to be moving toward integration, free movement, and unity under AU Agenda 2063. Yet incidents like this remind us how fragile that dream still is. When a young woman is shouted at to “go back to Nigeria” in a courtroom, it tells every African migrant that they are not safe, even when they follow due process.
Prince Olunloyo’s call for calm and an apology is important. Government-to-government engagement will also matter here. The Nigerian Mission in South Africa and the South African authorities need to make it clear that no one should be intimidated in court, regardless of nationality or the case at hand. Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done without harassment.
At the heart of this is dignity. Chidinma did nothing wrong by pursuing her rights legally. She represented Nigeria on a global stage and carried the green-white-green with honor. To repay that with insults in a Cape Town court is not just about her. It is about how Africa treats its own.
So yes, the signs point to xenophobia again. Until leaders on both sides confront it directly, condemn it publicly, and protect people like Chidinma, we will keep having these painful headlines. Africa cannot grow when its children are made to feel like strangers in each other’s homes.
