The global sports community and the Nigerian diaspora are in a state of profound shock following a tragic incident of gun violence in the United States that led to the death of a Nigerian athlete, Oluwabukola “Bukky” Pereira.
Deploring the sudden loss, grieving family members and athletic officials are urgently demanding justice and a thorough investigation into what has been described as a violent robbery.
Pereira was shot and killed on May 8 in Lockland. She was killed while working at an auto center in Lockland just a week before graduating with her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
It was gathered that she may have tried to stop a theft of about $1,500 from the auto center where she worked as a manager.
The heartbreaking news has triggered widespread mourning across Nigeria and the U.S., cutting short the life of a promising young woman who was on the verge of achieving her academic and professional dreams.
Oluwabukola Pereira, a standout track and field star, was said to have been shot and killed just days before she was scheduled to walk across the stage to receive her MBA degree.
Having transitioned from a stellar collegiate athletic career to focusing on her postgraduate studies, Pereira’s sudden death has left her peers and professors devastated.
Gbenga Showole, the husband of the deceased said his wife was a light in his life and those around her.
“Anybody you talk to who’s met her will tell you how much her faith was important to her and how much caring for other people was really important to her,” he said. “She took the gift of running she had and she just soared with it, she excelled with it.”
As police continue searching for the person who killed her, her family is trying to hold on to Bukola’s memory while also pushing for answers.
“It’s time to pivot to one, finding the person who did this, so we ask for help from the community to find the person and then two, and even more importantly, honor her legacy with the work of the foundation,” Gbenga Showole said.
Detectives are asking residents and businesses in Lockland and Lincoln Heights to review surveillance video, including Ring camera footage, for possible evidence related to their investigation.
The video they are looking for should have been recorded on May 8 between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports also that Xavier University held its graduation ceremony Saturday, honoring Oluwabukola Pereira who was not able to walk across the stage.
“As we honor all of our graduate degree recipients, one graduate will be deeply missed,” a speaker said at the ceremony. “This past week, our MBA program lost a member of its graduating class, Bukola Pereira.”
A day meant for celebration at Xavier University’s graduate commencement ceremony also became a day of remembrance.
Students and faculty wore pins reading, “Crossing the finish line for Bukola,” a tribute to her love of running and to the goal she worked so hard to reach.
Pereira’s husband and stepchildren walked across the stage, receiving her diploma on her behalf.
“It really should have been Bukola getting it herself, so it was bittersweet,” said Gbenga Showole, her husband. “She worked many, many long hours into the night doing all the coursework so this really should have been her honor.”
