By Nehru Odeh
Though it is nearly three weeks after 24 year-old Nigerian beauty queen and doctoral student, Najeebat Sule, was shot dead, while sitting inside her car, in front of her residence in Philadelphia, United States, the police have yet to find out the motive for the killing. Najeebat was known to her loved ones as Najee.
However, according to the Daily Mail, a day before she was killed, Najeebat, second runner-up at Miss Nigeria International in 2019, and a friend, Habibat Magaji had spent the night at Magaji’s house eating smacks and watching Netflix.
But less than 24 hours after, Najeebat was exchanging text message with Magaji in her grey Toyota Corolla when a gunman walked up to the vehicle and shot her several times.
Najeebat’s father, Adewale Sule, on hearing the gunshots, emerged from the house and saw the suspect fire the last shot 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.’
Najeebat was rushed to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, where she was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.
I can’t think of anything that would make anyone want to kill her,’ Magaji, who was one of the last people to have seen Najeebat, told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Her mother, Tawakalitu Sule, said she last heard from Najeebat less than two hours before the shooting when her daughter asked her when she would be home.
‘All of my children have been crying every day because of their big sister. They miss her. I miss my daughter,’ she said.
Sule and her family immigrated to Philadelphia in the early 2000s.
Sule had only recently earned a Master’s degree in public health from West Chester University and was pursuing a doctorate.
‘Queen Najeebat was an amazing young lady whose presence at the Miss Nigerian beauty pageant left a great ripple that continues to resonate,’ pageant organizers wrote on Facebook.
‘She was a breath of fresh air and her presence added a distinct touch that made the event memorable. She carried herself with great dignity and grace and her strength of character and approachability made her such a joy to work with.’