President, Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria has asked the National Assembly to approve another six months of emergency rule in three north-east states worst hit by Boko Haram violence.

President Jonathan, in a letter to the lawmakers, said security forces had recorded considerable gains within the first six months and he believed that normalcy would fully return to crisis-ridden areas in the next six months.

The fresh tenure, if approved by the National Assembly, will take effect from November 12

Terror attacks in the north eastern part of Nigeria by the Boko Haram sect have left thousands dead and several houses and schools destroyed.

The increasing recurrence of attacks led to the declaration of a State of Emergency on May 14 in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States by the Federal Government.

Jonathan had said that the decision became necessary because “what the country was facing  is not just militancy or criminality but a rebellion which poses a very serious threat to national unity”.