The present Department of Islamic Law started as a legal department of the Institute of Administration established by the Northern Regional Government. This department trained students to become lawyers, which training was eventually concluded in any of the Inns of Courts in England. The legal department later became the Faculty of Law when the Institute was upgraded to a full-fledged University. The University was taken over by the Northern Region House of Assembly Act in 1962. Since inception, many great legal practitioners owe their training to the Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, including the past Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais. The Faculty started with the award of first degree in law (LL.B) in 1965 and in 1982, the part-time course for the award of first degree in law was introduced; though at present, it has been phased out by the Council for Legal Education and the last batch of students passed out in 2005/2006 session. The Faculty considers its role to be that of providing a sound University education in law in consonance with universally accepted legal education standard and to inculcate in our graduates a legally sharp discerning mind able to provide legal services within the context of national development.