Nigerian President declares state of emergency

(Vatican Radio) Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in three northeastern states ordering in more troops to try to stem an increasingly violent Islamist insurgency. The move follows growing evidence that Islamist militant group Boko Haram now controls parts of the northeastern territory around Lake Chad, where local government officials have fled.
2000 people have been killed in violence since 2010 which has mostly been blamed on Boko Haram.
On Tuesday alone 53 people died and 13 villages were burnt in Nigeria's central Benue state.
In a televised addressed President Jonathan said urgent action was needed.
"The chief of defence staff has been directed to immediately deploy more troops to these states for more effective internal security operations.
Boko Haram and other Islamist groups such as al Qaeda-linked Ansaru have become the biggest threat to stability in Nigeria and it is not the first time the President has declared a state of emergency.
In December 2011, Jonathan issued a decree over some limited local government areas in the northeastern states, after a church bombing blamed on Boko Haram killed 37 people. Listen