Najeebat Sule, Former Miss Nigeria Pursuing Her Ph. D., Fatally Shot outside Her Parents' Philadelphia Home

A Nigerian beauty queen and aspiring Ph.D. student, Najeebat Sule, has been shot and killed by an unknown gunman. The incident was said to have occurred outside her parents' home.

Nigerian beauty queen and Ph.D. aspirant Najeebat Sule, who resided in Philadelphia, has lost her life after she was gunned down outside her parents' home. Najeebat was said to have been shot several times.

Authorities interacted with her devastated father, Adewale Sule, who made it known that the gunman fired the last shot in front of him, and his instinct shot through, making him give chase.

Adewale noted that the shooter turned on him at a point, and he had to back down for safety. He called 911 and went to check on Najeebat. The police would later inform him that she had passed on.

The Sule family is quite devastated about the occurrence and confused as to why such a heinous crime was meted on their loved one. Her sisters and aunt, who preferred to be unidentified, described her as loving and caring.

Najeebat and her family moved from Nigeria in the early 2000s, and with time, her love for pageantry was discovered. She returned to Nigeria as a young adult and participated in the Miss Nigeria International beauty pageant.

The runway star was described as someone who took the competition in stride and made friends in the Miss Nigeria sisterhood.

The youngster emerged as the second runner-up and channeled her good works into charity and sickle cell initiatives. Najeebat, also known as "Najee," was passionate about education.

Before the fatal incident, the late 24-year-old was said to have just returned from a sleepover at a friend's. The friend in question, Habibat Magaji, noted that she was befuddled about the shooting and could not decipher why anyone would want Najeebat dead.

Another friend, Tamira DeSeignoria, 24, shared that Najeebat was called the "Nigerian princess" because she was treated like one by her family. She added that the late beauty queen loved glitz and glamour and got whatever she desired.

The Miss Nigeria International franchise put out condolences on their official Facebook page, sharing their memories of Najeebat. The runway star was described as someone who took the competition in stride and made friends in the Miss Nigeria sisterhood.

Najeebat had big dreams, having completed her Master's Degree in Public Health at West Chester University. She was pronounced dead 30 minutes after she was wheeled to the Jefferson Torresdale Hospital.