Nigerian MBA student, athlete killed in suspected robbery attack in US
A Nigerian athlete and postgraduate student, Oluwabukola Pereira, has been shot dead during a suspected robbery incident at a car service centre in Lockland, Ohio, United States.
Pereira, 30, was working as a cashier at the facility when the incident occurred on May 8. According to reports, the attacker allegedly fled with about $1,500 after the shooting.
The deceased, a middle-distance runner, was also an MBA student at Xavier University and was preparing for graduation just days before the tragic incident.
Local authorities are still investigating the shooting and have yet to officially confirm the motive behind the attack.
A co-worker, Don Simpson, said Pereira reportedly attempted to pursue the suspect before she was shot twice.
“So the guy came in and robbed her, and when he ran, she ran behind him. And when they got to the back, he shot her,” Simpson was quoted as saying.
Pereira was born in Lagos, Nigeria, where she competed in several national athletics championships before relocating to the United States.
James Lafferty, a former chief executive officer of Coca-Cola West Africa, who sponsored her move to the US, said he discovered her athletic talent while working in Lagos. According to him, Pereira arrived in America with only $10 and a scholarship. She later earned a bachelor’s degree from Southwest Baptist University and a master’s degree in communication from the University of Texas at El Paso.
