By HAWAKULU MUHAMMED

Najeebat Sule, a Nigerian beauty queen and doctoral student in Philadelphia, US, has been shot dead.

She was said to have been killed inside her car parked in front of her residence in the 8800 block of Frankford Avenue.

Three weeks after the tragic incident, the police have not made any arrest, leaving Sule’s family and friends searching for answers, according to Daily Mail.

Magaji, a woman who was among the last people to have seen Sule alive, said the two of them spent the night before together, eating snacks and watching Netflix together.

Less than 24 hours later, Sule was sitting in her grey 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.

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 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 in a report by Daily Mail.

Najeet is survived by her parents and two sisters. The family are currently staying at an undisclosed location over unspecified concerns for their safety.

Sule and her family immigrated to Philadelphia from Nigeria 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.

In 2019, she was crowned a second runner-up at the Miss Nigeria International pageant.

‘Queen Najibat 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.’

Her Instagram page, which has more than 3,000 followers, features photos of the glamorous PhD student modelling a wide variety of fashionable outfits and accessories. (Daily Trust)

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