- Rico Swavey was a contestant on the third season of Big Brother Naija
- He was involved in a fatal road accident in the city of Lagos
- Rico, born Patrick Fakoya, was pursuing a career in music at the time of his death.
“We lost him… We lost our boy,” tweeted the verified Twitter account belonging to Rico Swavey, the Nigerian lawyer who competed on Big Brother Naija (fka Big Brother Nigeria). The 29-year-old was born Patrick Fakoya passed away on Oct. 13, according to the account. Following the news of his death, Rico’s fellow BBNaija star Alex Unusual tweeted, “This was not what we agreed, Rico. Rest In Peace.”
Many flocked online to share their condolences, which resulted in #RIPRicoSwavey trending on Twitter. “Rico Swavey’s death is truly heartbreaking, judging by what people say about him [you] can tell he’s a beautiful soul,” tweeted Twitter adviser/influencer Daniel Regha. “What a loss. My deepest condolences to his grieving family. May God strengthen ’em & help ’em overcome this irreplaceable loss. RIP Rico. Gone but not forgotten…”
Here’s what you need to know about Rico.
He Was Involved In A ‘Ghastly’ Accident
Alex Asogwa, aka Alex Unusual, first tweeted the news that Rico was involved in an accident on Tuesday (Oct. 11), according to Legit. “Good morning sweethearts. Please put @iamricoswavey in your prayers today. He was involved in a ghastly accident hours ago and the doctors are still trying to resuscitate him as I just left the hospital. It’s really critical. I’m staying positive.#PrayForRicoSwavey.”
The details of the accident are unclear at the time of this post’s publication. His official Twitter account showed a video supposedly of the car he was in following the crash.
— Rico Swavey 🇳🇬🇺🇸 (@iamricoswavey) October 12, 2022
Rico Swavey Had A Background In Law
Born Patrick Fakoya in 1992, he grew up with seven siblings, according to the Nigerian publication Punch. Though Rico Swavey is best known for his time on BBNaija, Patrick had a history in the legal world, having obtained his law degree from Babcock University in lishan-Remo, Nigeria.
He Loved Music
Patrick adopted the Rico Swavey moniker as a stage name so he could pursue his love of music. In 2022, he released a new song, “BOY AFFI,” the first since the two solo tracks he put out in 2021 (“THIS LIFE,” and “Nacho Cruise”) and “Nobody,” his collab with The Beat Prince. His Instagram bio listed that he was an “UNSIGNED” performer, but with a quarter of a million followers, he clearly had a devout fanbase.
He Made It Far In ‘BBNaija’
Rico was evicted on Day 70 of BBNaija’s season 3, making it ten weeks in the household. While this meant he finished ninth place, twenty competitors went into the house that season, meaning that he outlasted more than half of them. Miracle Ikechukwu Igbokwe ultimately won the season.
He Left A Positive Impact On His Fellow ‘Big Brother’ Stars
“We lost him,” tweeted BBNaija competitor Tobi Bakre, who included a photo of a laughing Rico. “This is how I will always remember you. Rest in peace my brother,” Tobi captioned the picture. Host and former housemate Ebuka Obi-Uchendu tweeted a pair of photos of him with Rico. “The actual warmest human being. This is truly heartbreaking…Rest in Peace, Rico.”