A 24-year-old Nigerian beauty queen and PHD student, Najeebat Sule, has been shot multiple times and killed in front of her home in Philadelphia, United States.
Najeebat, a former Nigerian beauty queen and doctorate student from Philadelphia, was shot dead on March 12 while sitting in her car in front of her family’s home in the 8800 block of Frankford Avenue.
According to Daily Mail, Najeebat’s close friend Habibat Magaji was among the last people to have seen the former beauty queen alive before she was gunned down.
The two women had spent the night before at Magaji’s home, eating snacks and watching Netflix together.
Less than 24 hours later, Najeebat was sitting in her gray Toyota Corolla, exchanging text messages with Magaji, when an unidentified man walked up to the vehicle with a gun drawn and shot her several times.
“I can’t think of anything that would make anyone want to kill her,’Magaji, told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Sule’s father, Adewale Sule, heard the gunfire and emerged from the house just in time to see the suspect fire the last of the shots at his daughter.
“I saw the guy shooting my daughter. He shot the last round and I pursued him,” said the father. “He ran back to his car.”
Najeet was rushed to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, where she was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.
Her mother, Tawakalitu Sule, said she last heard from Najeet less than two hours before the shooting, when her daughter asked her when she was going to be home.
“All of my children have been crying every day because of their big sister. They really miss her. I miss my daughter,’ she said.
Najeet is survived by her parents and two sisters. The family are currently staying at an undisclosed location over unspecified concerns for their safety.
Najeet and her family immigrated to Philadelphia from Nigeria in the early 2000s. She had only recently earned a Master’s degree in public health from West Chester University and was pursuing a doctorate.
In 2019, she was crowned a second runner-up at the Miss Nigeria International pageant.
KanyiDaily had also reported how an 18-year-old Nigerian Student, Oluwafemi Oyerinde, was shot dead by his neighbour after they reportedly got into a heated argument over loud music in Georgia, United States.