Former Delta State Deputy Governor, Amos Utuama, has died at the age of 77.

Utuama was reported to have died in Warri, Delta State, in the early hours of Saturday, following a prolonged illness.

The late former vice governor was a renowned law professor who excelled as the state’s justice commissioner and attorney general from 1999 to 2007.

He later became deputy governor of the state from 2007 to 2015 during the administration of former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

Following his death, the Delta Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, sent his condolences to his family.

“The deceased was a world-class scholar whose teachings and research had contributed immensely to the Nigerian legal profession and jurisprudence,” the statement said.

“On behalf of the government and people of Delta, I mourn the death of a man, an astute academic and politician, Professor Amos Agbe Utuama, SAN, who died on Saturday in Warri.

“I received the devastating news of his death with great shock. He was a politician and scholar who distinguished himself in the service of his people, first as the state’s Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General, and later as the state’s deputy governor.

“Throughout his service to the state and the country, Professor Utuama has demonstrated his commitment to the unity and development of the state,” he said.