Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Idris Kutigi, has died at 79 after a brief illness.

Kutigi died on Saturday and was survived by 18 children and over 40 grandchildren.

Late Kutigi was the Chief Justice of Nigeria from January 30, 2007 until December 30, 2009.

Justice Kutigi served as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Niger State until 1976, when he was appointed High Court judge.

He served in that position for more than a decade and later joined the Supreme Court in 1992.

After 10 years at the Supreme Court, based on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him to the position of Chief Justice to succeed Justice Salihu Alfa Belgore, who retired on January 17, 2007.