A former Nigerian magnificence queen and doctoral pupil in Philadelphia has been shot lifeless whereas sitting in her automobile in entrance of her household’s dwelling, and now her dad and mom are hiding out of worry for his or her lives.
Najeebat Sule, 24, recognized to her family members as Najee, was killed shortly earlier than 6pm on March 12, steps away from her residence within the 8800 block of Frankford Avenue.
Almost three weeks later, police haven’t discovered a motive and have made no arrests, leaving Sule’s household and associates looking for solutions. She had solely lately earned a Grasp’s diploma in public well-being.
Magaji was among the many final folks to have seen Sule alive earlier than she was gunned down.
The 2 ladies had spent the night time earlier than at Magaji’s dwelling, consuming snacks and watching Netflix collectively.
Lower than 24 hours later, Sule was sitting in her gray Toyota Corolla, exchanging textual content messages with Magaji, when an unidentified man walked as much as the car with a gun drawn and shot her a number of occasions.
Sule’s father, Adewale Sule, heard the gunfire and emerged from the home simply in time to see the suspect fireplace the final of the photographs at his daughter.
‘I noticed the man capturing my daughter. He shot the final spherical, and I pursued him,’ stated the daddy. ‘He ran again to his automobile.’
Najeet was rushed to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, the place she was pronounced lifeless about 30 minutes later.
Her mom, Tawakalitu Sule, stated she final heard from Najeet lower than two hours earlier than the capturing when her daughter requested her when she can be dwelling.
‘All of my kids have been crying every single day due to their massive sister. They miss her. I miss my daughter,’ she stated in a report by DailyMail.
Najeet is survived by her dad and mom and two sisters. ‘She was very gifted, sensible and humorous,’ one among her siblings informed 6abc.
The household are at present staying at an undisclosed location over unspecified considerations for his or her security.
Sule and her household immigrated to Philadelphia from their native Nigeria within the early 2000s.
Sule had solely lately earned a Grasp’s diploma in public well-being from West Chester College and was pursuing a doctorate.
In 2019, she was topped a second runner-up on the Miss Nigeria Worldwide pageant.
‘Queen Najibat was a tremendous younger woman whose presence on the Miss Nigerian magnificence pageant left an excellent ripple that continues to resonate,’ pageant organizers wrote on Fb. ‘She was a breath of recent air and her presence added a definite contact that made the occasion memorable. She carried herself with nice dignity and charm and her energy of character and approachability made her such a pleasure to work with.’
Her Instagram web page, which has greater than 3,000 followers, options pictures of the glamorous PhD pupil modelling all kinds of trendy outfits and equipment.
‘Our joke was that she was like a Nigerian princess,’ Sule’s highschool buddy, Tamira DeSeignoria, informed the newspaper. ‘No matter Najee needed, Najee received.’
Sule’s capturing loss of life comes amid a surge in gun violence in Philadelphia, which has seen a 29 per cent murder price improve over the past 12 months.
Within the first three months of 2021, there have been 120 killings in Philadelphia, with 15 of the victims being kids, reported Fox 29.
‘That is unacceptable,’ Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw stated on Wednesday throughout a gathering in regards to the newest crime statistics, stressing that ‘these are human beings that we’re speaking about.’
