Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in three troubled northern states, where a radical Islamist outfit has been carrying out killings and battling with government forces.

Jonathan said on Tuesday declared a “state of emergency” in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states, saying the military will take “all necessary action” to “put an end to the impunity of insurgents and terrorists.”

In his address after two days of meetings with security chiefs, Jonathan admitted that members of the Boko Haram Islamic militant group and other extremists now control some parts of Nigeria.

“What we are facing is not just militancy or criminality, but a rebellion and insurgency by terrorist groups which pose a very serious threat to national unity and territorial integrity,” he said.

“These terrorists and insurgents seem determined to establish control and authority over parts of our beloved nation and to progressively overwhelm the rest of the country,” the president said.

He did not remove the governors of the three states but ordered security forces to pay closer attention to the areas.

Boko Haram has killed more than 2,000 people since it started insurgency in 2009.