Nigeria, May 25 -- Veteran Kannywood actress Wasila Isma'il has died after battling a prolonged illness.

She was 46.

Her former husband, Al-Amin Chiroma, confirmed her death in a post shared on his Facebook page on Sunday.

He wrote: "To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. Allah has taken the death of Malama Wasila Ismail. May Allah forgive her and grant us a peaceful ending. Amen."

However, Punch newspaper reported that Mr Chiroma confirmed that the actress died at the Federation of Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria Hospital (FOMWAN) in Kaduna State.

The late actress began her acting career in 1998 with the film "Jinin Masoya" before rising to prominence in 1999 with her appearance in "Wasila", directed by Yakubu Lere, alo...