ACCRA: The West African bloc announced plans Saturday to increase cooperation with Central African states in the battle against “terrorism,” amid fears of Boko Haram’s insurgency spreading across the region.

Nigeria has repeatedly said it needs more help from its central African neighbors — including Chad, Cameroon and Niger — to end the brutal five-year insurgency being waged by the militant group.

In the final communique of an extraordinary security summit, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said it would “establish a high level partnership with Central African States to effectively combat terrorism.”

Nigeria insists that Boko Haram fighters escape military pursuit by fleeing across the porous borders of its northeastern neighbors and some analysts believe senior Boko Haram commanders are in fact based in Cameroon.

Nigeria’s presidency has accused Cameroon of not doing enough to help defeat Boko Haram.

On late Friday, gunmen suspected to be from the Boko Haram group killed a Muslim tribal leader and two policemen in northeastern Nigeria in an attack on a convoy, the state government said.

The Emir of Gwoza was traveling in the convoy to attend a funeral when gunmen opened fire on their car.

Alhaji Idrissa Timta died from gunshot wounds and two policemen were killed, a source at the Emir of Uba’s palace told Reuters requesting anonymity.

Another source said earlier that the military had been deployed to the area.

Despite a year-long military offensive against it, Boko Haram, which is fighting to reinstate a separate state in northern Nigeria, has been able to run riot across the north east and bomb cities across the country.

On Thursday, in the northeastern village of Gurmushi, near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, suspected gunmen riding motorbikes killed 32 people.

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan said on Thursday he had ordered a full-scale operation against Boko Haram and sought to reassure parents of the 219 schoolgirls still being held by the group that their children would be freed.