Crowned Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina has addressed allegations of identity theft by the South African government.
The 23-year-old denied stealing anyone’s identity in an interview with Arise News, saying she would reserve her thoughts until the matter is over.
Adetshina, a Mozambican mother and a Nigerian father who was born in Soweto, South Africa, was criticised when she was announced as a competitor for Miss South Africa.
Her mother was accused of fraud and identity theft by the South African Department of Home Affairs.
Adetshina insisted, nevertheless, that she did not steal anyone’s identity, and she would not comment on the situation until all the information was known.
She explained that she exited the Miss South Africa pageant to pursue her dream of competing in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, adding that she is not running away from the allegations but rather focusing on her goals.
“I did not steal anyone’s identity. I’m just waiting for the conclusion of the case and the whole matter. Then moving forward I will know exactly what to say because I feel right now if I say something and another thing comes out tomorrow. I’m just avoiding all those two things contradicting each other.
“I really avoided the questions because it is a legal matter and I don’t have all the facts around the matter, but what I can say is that I was not running away from any of that. I was just running because I knew I had a dream that I wanted to fulfil.
” I’m not fully aware of the matter. But what I can speak on is that I know I did not steal anyone’s identity,” she said.
