Department of linguistics came into existence as a result of accreditation exercise of 2010 and subsequent recommendations from NUC verification team in 2012, which recommended the establishment of Linguistics Department separate from Department of Nigerian Languages. The first set of its students were offered admission in 2013 academic year to read B.A. Linguistics. Sequel to this development, the then Vice Chancellor Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed appointed Professor Mukhtar Abdulkadir Yusuf as the pioneer Head of theDepartment with effect from 8th April, 2013. In 2015, the University Annual Retreat recommended for the merger of the Department of Linguistics and Department of Foreign Languages. This merger led to its renaming as the Department of Linguistics and Foreign Languages. In view of this merger, the then Vice Chancellor Professor Muhammad Yahuza Bello reappointed Professor Mukhtar Abdulkadir Yusuf as the substantive Head of Department of Linguistics and Foreign Languages with effect from 4th February, 2016 to January, 2018. Dr. Isa Yusuf Chamo is the current Head of Department. He was appointed in February, 2018 and reappointed in February, 2020. The Department now offers B.A. Linguistics and B.A. French at undergraduate level and introduces postgraduate programms for the award of Postgraduate Diploma in Linguistics, Postgraduate Diploma in Translation, M.A. Linguistics, M.A. French, M.A Translation, PhD Linguistics and PhD French.