Veteran Nigerian-Hausa drama actor, Usman Baba Pategi, popularly known as Samanja, has passed away. He died at the age of 84.
A statement released by one of his sons, Mohammad Usman, says the actor died in the early hours of Sunday, November 12, at a private hospital in Kaduna State after a prolonged illness.
The Kaduna-based late Kannywood actor served in the Nigerian Army before retiring to work for the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in Kaduna.
He is survived by two wives and twelve children.
His funeral prayer will be held at the Kabala Costain mosque in the Kaduna metropolis, in accordance with an Islamic injunction.