TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday imposed a state of emergency in three states menaced by armed group Boko Haram, saying the level of violence called for "extraordinary measures"

"I hereby declare a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states," Jonathan said in a televised speech, referring to the three northeastern states which have been among the hardest hit by the insurgency. He said more troops would immediately be deployed to the areas.

The decision was called after the attack to several military bases and government offices in the Northern part of Nigeria, earlier this month.

Jonathan made a similar move in January 2012 following a spate of Boko Haram attacks, but in that case the decree only applied to specific local government areas in four states.

Yvonne Ndege, Al Jazeera correspondent reporting from Nigeria, said that the statement was meant to keep public safety and security. "This measurement sounds like rhetorical, as it tries to break the peace deadlock between the government and Boko Haram," said Ndege.

The Boko Haram insurgency, which the group says is aimed at creating an Islamic state in the country's mainly Muslim north, has cost some 3,600 lives since 2009, including killings by the security forces.

AL JAZEERA | CHOIRUL