Veteran Nollywood actor, Olusegun Akinremi, popularly known as Chief Kanran, has passed away at the age of 70.
The news was confirmed on Friday by movie executive and producer, Seun Oloketuyi, who announced via Instagram that the actor died earlier in the day.
He wrote, “Popular actor Segun Remi popularly known as Chief Kanran died Friday morning. Details soon.”
Chief Kanran was a celebrated figure in the Yoruba film industry, admired for his unique style, refined elegance, taste for luxury, sharp humour, and powerful performances that graced stage plays and films for decades.
In a 2020 interview with PUNCH, the veteran actor opened up about his decision to leave the movie industry.
“I stepped aside from film-making because of some reasons. There is politics everywhere and different cliques as well, even in our profession. Some people in the industry see people like me as a threat because I will not do anything that is not professional and that has made some people to be upset with me,” he said.
Chief Kanran began his career in stage productions before transitioning to television and film. He gained national attention through various Yoruba stage performances and became a household name with his roles in a popular NTA drama series.
Over the years, he starred in notable Yoruba films including Ewe Orun, Aiye, Efunsetan Aniwura, Agbarin, and Bata Wahala, often portraying kings, chiefs, or village elders. He launched his professional acting career in 1975, playing the title role in Kurunmi by Prof. Ola Rotimi, and featured in the TV series Mirror in the Sun. He also played a businessman in the soap opera Images.
His breakthrough came on stage with Langbodo, Nigeria’s drama entry for Festac ’77, performed at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos. On television, he became widely recognised for portraying Alaafin Kanran in a drama broadcast on Lagos Television on October 1, 1988.
As of press time, the cause of his death had not been disclosed. The family is yet to issue an official statement regarding the cause of death or burial arrangements.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
