She came to the U.S. from Nigeria with $10 and a dream. One week away from graduating with her MBA, she was killed.
LOCKLAND , Ohio - Just a week before graduating from Xavier University with her MBA, Oluwabukola “Bukky” Pereira , 30, wasAs police continue searching for the suspect who killed her, Pereira’s family and friends look for ways to keep her memory alive while grieving their loved one.
Finneytown native James Lafferty, a friend and mentor to the victim, describes Pereira as an incredibly hard worker and amazing person.
“I’m trying to find the meaning in all of this,” Lafferty says in a phone call with FOX19 NOW. “We’re all just kind of afraid she would just disappear into the past and we don’t want that. ”Watch more FOX19 NOW videos Pereira immigrated to the U.S. when she was 18 years old after Lafferty discovered her running talent while living in Nigeria. At the time, he was working as the CEO for Coca-Cola West Africa.
“Life in Nigeria is hard. You have to fight for everything. I’d be in open markets and you’d see women hitting each other over apples,” he recalls. After he moved to Lagos in 2010, Lafferty and the Mayor of Oshodi teamed up to create 10K competitions for at-risk youth.
The objective was simple: Beat the mayor or the CEO from Coke, win prizes. Then came Pereira, a Nigerian high school girl who was not wearing any shoes, ready to run the race.
“She kills me, she kills the mayor. She smoked us completely,” Lafferty says. Seeing something special in a teenaged Pereira, Lafferty says he spoke to her parents about getting her to not only run at the collegiate level in the U.S., but also gain an American education. A new door of opportunity had opened up for her.
“I’ve met a lot of people today who say the Dream is dead … Bukky was living the American Dream,” Lafferty says. “She came here with $10 in her pocket from West Africa. ” James Lafferty shares a photo from November 2025. On the left is Bukky Pereira next to her fiance.
Lafferty is standing in the middle next to his nephew . Pereira thrived academically, getting her undergraduate degree from Southwest Baptist University, her Master’s in Communication from the University of Texas at El Paso, and working toward her MBA from Xavier.
“She built a life for herself and did really well,” Lafferty says. “She was a barefoot runner, and didn’t have shoes. And now she’s in the U.S. getting her MBA from XU. ” Although running professionally did not work out, Lafferty says she continued competing, and even won first place in the Flying Pig 5K in 2024.
“She was a great runner but she was a far better human being,” he said. “Her story is an inspiration for everyone. ” To keep her legacy alive and known, Lafferty says he is working with Pereira’s family in Nigeria and other runners to create memorial races for her. Pereira was also scheduled to graduate from Xavier Saturday.
The Jesuit Catholic university says they will have a special service to honor her life.
Fox19 19 Fox News Channel Cincinnati FOX 19 Channel 19 News ‘Civil Danger Warning’: Lockland Police Issue Acti Breaking News Billboards Active Shooter Active Shooting Shooting Lockland Lockland News Cincinnati News Breaking Breaking News Now Trending Now Whats Happening In Lockland Whats Happening In Wyoming Ohio Wyoming Ohio Ohio News Active Shooter Active Shooter Alert ‘No Longer A Threat’: Active Shooter Alert Lifted Officials Say N Wayne Avenue Woman Killed In Lockland Shooting Identified By Co Oluwabukola Pereira The Shooting Prompted An Active Shooter Alert In L Woman Killed In Shooting Prompting Friday’S ‘Active Shooter’ Alert Identified Robbery Woman Killed In Robbery Xavier Student Killed In Shooting Prompting Friday’S ‘Active Shooter’ Alert Identified She Was ‘Living The American Dream’: Friends Mourn Oluwabukola “Bukky” Pereira James Michael Lafferty James Lafferty Bukky
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