Nigeria has sent a “massive deployment of men and resources” to combat Islamist militants in three north-eastern states.

A statement said the drive was aimed at “asserting the nation’s territorial integrity” and “enhancing security”.

On Tuesday President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states after a series of deadly attacks by militants.

Fighters from the Boko Haram group are blamed for most of the violence.

The group, which has its roots in north-eastern Nigeria, is linked to bloodshed in which some 2,000 people have died since 2010.

Boko Haram has seized control of parts of the north-east over the past three years, and much of the violence has been confined to that region.
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Analysis
image of Will Ross Will Ross BBC Nigeria correspondent

There is no doubt that the situation in northern Nigeria is deteriorating fast and now President Goodluck Jonathan has admitted as much. No-one else in the government had dared say a word.

The frequency and scale of the attacks carried out by Boko Haram have forced the president to take action and to silence some of his critics who accuse him of being out of touch and slow to react.

Some analysts have suggested that if left to fester there is little to stop Boko Haram from setting up its own Islamic institutions in the extreme north-east.

Will more boots on the ground improve the situation? Much will depend on how the troops behave. Analysts argue that the military has already lost the battle for hearts and minds and residents feel trapped between the two sides of this murky conflict.
source: www.cybernewsupdate.com