By: Tunji Okunlola
A promising Nigerian athlete and graduate student has been shot dead in the United States just days before she was due to collect her MBA degree, a moment her family and friends say she had worked her entire life to reach.
Oluwabukola “Bukky” Pereira, 30, was killed on Friday, May 8, during a suspected robbery at Arise Auto Center in Lockland, Ohio, where she worked as a cashier. According to a coworker, a suspect robbed the premises and fled. Pereira gave chase and was shot dead at the back of the property.
Emergency responders arrived to find her with a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident and is searching for a male suspect aged between 25 and 35, with long hair worn in braids or dreadlocks, last seen fleeing toward the Gardner Park area. Authorities have appealed to anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.
From Barefoot in Lagos to the American Dream
Pereira’s journey to Ohio was itself extraordinary. In 2010, at just 15 years old, she was racing barefoot through the streets of Lagos when James Lafferty, then a senior Coca-Cola executive in West Africa, spotted her talent during a neighbourhood fun run. She outpaced both him and the local mayor with ease.
Lafferty connected her with a scholarship opportunity in the United States. She arrived with $10 to her name. From there, she built an academic record that belied her modest beginnings, earning a bachelor’s degree from Southwest Baptist University, a Master’s in Communication from the University of Texas at El Paso, and most recently completing an MBA at Xavier University in Cincinnati.
She was one week away from the graduation ceremony when she was killed.
A Community in Mourning
Xavier University president Colleen Hanycz described Pereira as a woman of “positivity, deep faith and generous spirit.” Friends called her kind, honest, intelligent, and beautiful, inside and out.
Beyond the classroom, she was an active member of Cincinnati’s Elite running group and had competed in several races, including the Flying Pig Marathon.
At Xavier’s commencement ceremony on May 16, her degree was awarded posthumously. Students and faculty wore pins bearing the words: “Crossing the finish line for Bukola.”
Her husband, Gbenga Pereira, accepted the degree on her behalf. “It really should have been Bukola getting it herself,” he said. “She worked many, many long hours into the night doing all the coursework and this really should have been her honour.”
Back in Nigeria, her family described her as “a bright and shining star.” Her grassroots coach in Lagos, Rauf Abass, said: “She was humble, disciplined and dedicated to her dreams. This is a huge loss.”
Pereira was the eldest of four children and had been engaged to be married later this year.
The investigation is ongoing.