South African beauty queen crowned Miss Universe Nigeria

Born to a Nigerian father in South Africa, 23-year-old Chidimma Adetshina withdrew from the country's competition

A former Miss South Africa contestant hounded over a nationality row was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria on Saturday, capping a difficult few weeks for the beauty queen.

Born to a Nigerian father in South Africa, 23-year-old Chidimma Adetshina withdrew from the country's competition "for the safety and wellbeing of my family and I" after a backlash that exposed anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa.

"This journey has been a tough journey for me, and I am so proud of myself, and I'm really grateful for the love and the support," Adetshina told AFP minutes after being crowned in Nigeria's commercial capital of Lagos.

"This is something that I've always wanted, and I'm really glad that I have a second shot as well at achieving it," Adetshina said.