Veteran Hausa actor Usman Baba Pategi, popularly known as Samanja, has passed away.

The actor, it was gathered, died in the early hours of Sunday morning at a private hospital in Kaduna State after a prolonged illness.

The late Kannywood actor served in the Nigerian Army before retiring to work for the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in Kaduna.

Samanja passed away at the age of 84, leaving behind two wives and twelve children.