Nigerian football legend Stephen Keshi has died at the age of 54.

The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed the news on Wednesday, with local reports stating that Keshi passed away as a result of a heart attack.

The former Nigeria captain won the Nations Cup in 1994, and again later as manager of the Super Eagles in the 2013 tournament in South Africa.

Keshi, who managed Togo and Mali in his career, had a three-year spell in charge of Nigeria, guiding them to the last 16 of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The former defender's contract was not renewed after the tournament, but he returned to his post on a match-by-match deal after the team failed to progress to the 2015 Nations Cup finals.

The Federation dismissed him as interim boss, and then reinstated the coach thanks to then-Nigeria president Goodluck Jonathan, but Keshi was eventually sacked in July last year.

The Azare-born former footballer was one of just two men to win the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and coach.