Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu yesterday warned that the Southwest would not tolerate another unprovoked attack.
He described the June 5 terrorist attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo as “one too many”.
At least 40 worshippers were killed during the attack, with many injured.
Akeredolu spoke while receiving his counterparts Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara).
The three governors donated N75 million to victims.
In Lagos, Sanwo-Olu directed that flags be flown at half-mast for three days to mourn the victims.
Akeredolu noted that the people of the Southwest had always been peaceful.
He said: “We are part of this country and we have always come to this country in peace and we have maintained peace.
“We have been trying every time to maintain Nigeria because we believe in Nigeria.
“Let someone point to an incident in which we left our enclave or we left this peaceful environment and went to cause problems in other places. Let them tell us.
“We have come to this country in peace, and now people want to visit us with war. You want to maim and kill us; it is not easy.
“It is a dreadful assault. I said to people that if we were at war and we were armed and faced ourselves, in one day 40 people would not die from our side. But this is not war, we were not at war.
“This is an assault on us, on our psyche. We cannot continue this way. We believe in this place, we believe in the Southwestern region. We believe in Yoruba. Is Yoruba part of the Nigeria we believe in? Yes.
“If you get to the scene, I’m sure it will bring tears out of your eyes. These criminals, these animals in human skin, what they did was horrendous.
“They did not come to kidnap, they did not come to steal, they took no dime. They went into the church and shot at everything within their sight.”
Abiodun, who spoke on behalf of the other governors, wondered why Akeredolu’s town was targeted.
He announced the donation of N25 million each from the governors.
Abiodun said: “We find this attack as not just on the good people of Owo, or the good people of Ondo State, but the entire people of the Southwest.
“We know that you (Akeredolu) have been at the vanguard of ensuring peace and security for your people. You are the champion of the Amotekun in the Southwest.
“We, your brothers, wonder if this is more personal because of the role you have played in ensuring that our zone is secured.
“One wonders if there is a particular reason this attack was launched in your hometown of Owo.
“We are deeply pained; we are deeply saddened and we commiserate with you. We pray for the lives of the departed. We pray that the almighty God forgives their sins and accepts their souls.”
The Lagos State government said the decision to mourn the victims came at a Southwest Governors’ June 10 virtual meeting, which reviewed the security situation in the region.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said in a statement: “The governors condemned in very strong terms the horrendous crime perpetrated by terrorists against the people and residents of Owo, Ondo State and, by extension, the peace-loving people of the Southwest…
“Governor Sanwo-Olu urges Lagos residents and visitors to remain law-abiding and vigilant as the government is doing everything to ensure that peace continues to prevail in the state.”
The Fellowship of Churches of Christ in Nigeria, also known as Tarayyar Ekklesiyoyin Kristi a Nijeria (TEKAN), condemned the killing of the worshippers.
It urged the government to do more to secure lives.
Its President Rev. Caleb Ahima and General Secretary Moses Ebuga said in a statement: “This is a matter of great concern to the Fellowship.
“As a family, we are calling on the government and the security agencies to do the needful.”