VOA常速英语2007年-Rights Group Calls for Investigation Into Alleg

By Sarah Simpson
Lagos
21 November 2007

U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch has called for an independent public inquiry¹ into the Nigerian police force who, by their own calculations, say police officers killed more than 8,000 Nigerians since 2000. The police say the dead are armed robbers and laud² their deaths as a successful crack down on crime. Human Rights Watch says the circumstances of death are murky³ and Nigerian police routinely torture suspects and have carried out numerous extrajudicial killings⁵. Sarah Simpson reports from the Nigerian commercial capital of Lagos, where residents want to see gun crime brought under control but are fearful of the police and their methods.

Armed robbery in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, is prevalent. Of the shopkeepers, motorbike-taxi drivers and customers at the busy Falomo Shopping center, only one man, Jacob Onabe, says he has escaped such an ordeal⁶. He says only God can account for his good fortune.

"Maybe it is by God's favor. Maybe the love of God has done it for me that I have not experienced that before," Onabe said.

Although Onabe escaped being victim of an armed robbery, he did fall victim to a corrupt⁷ police officer.

Onabe, who drives a motorbike taxi known as an okada, says he had to pay a policeman 200 naira, or about $1.50 U.S., to get back his keys from the officer.

"He was even asking me to pay bill of 700 Naira or he would take my bike from me. I had to plead him and beg him," Onabe said.  "It was very early - around five or six in the morning - so I pleaded with him and he refused. I had to give him 200 Naira for no crime committed. I did not steal, I did not insult him or harass⁸ him."

New York-based Human Rights Watch says that it's not just the high crime that is of issue in Nigeria. Police corruption⁹ is also a problem.  As a result, the group is calling on the Nigerian government to open an independent inquiry into the number of people shot by the police.

The probe comes days after Nigeria's chief of police announced that his forces had killed 785 suspected armed robbers in the three months since he took office.

Human Rights Watch is skeptical¹⁰ that all those killed were actually armed robbers. They say the deaths make a mockery of recently-elected President Umaru Yar'Adua's vow¹¹ to uphold the rule of law.

Political Analyst¹², Charles Dokubo, says the deaths may have been orchestrated by corrupt police officers.

"If it has taken place in Nigeria, it is not with the coordination¹³ or the acceptance of the government in power," Dokubo said. "It has been done by some misguided policemen who decided¹⁴ to take the law into their hands."

But, Nigerian police spokesman Haz Iwendi says the real injustice¹⁵ was the loss of life incurred¹⁶ by police in carrying out their duties.

"I expected you to have complained about the 62 number of policemen it has never happened in the world," Iwendi said. "And that is what we lost in the pursuit, in the fight against armed robbery."

Human Rights Watch claims Nigerian police are documented to have carried out numerous extra judicial⁴ killings as well as torture suspects. And,  the U.N. last year accused police of torturing detained suspects to extract confessions¹⁷.

At Falomo Shopping Center Joseph Egbe, who sells fish from a battered¹⁸ old chest freezer, says he is as frightened of police as he is of armed robbers.

"Police, their ways of behavior is no different with the armed robbers!," Egbe said.

Helen Sunday looks after her family's beverage¹⁹ store. She was robbed last week when gunmen held up the mini-bus she took home from work. She did not report the matter to the police.

"Hmm, the police would not do anything. They will not do anything at all. They will say 'Ah, sorry-o!'. That is what they will tell you," Sunday said.

Despite booming oil earnings²⁰, the majority of Nigerians live in poverty. Analysts²¹ say increased wages and better training for police could ease corruption, while increased job opportunities for youths could bring down crime levels.

1 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

2 laud   

n.颂歌；v.赞美

参考例句：

• Kathy was very pleased to have graduated cum laud in her class.凯西在班上以优等成绩毕业，她为此而非常高兴。
• We laud him a warmhearted man.我们称赞他是个热心人。

3 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。

4 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

5 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

6 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

7 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

8 harass   

vt.使烦恼，折磨，骚扰

参考例句：

• Our mission is to harass the landing of the main Japaness expeditionary force.我们的任务是骚乱日本远征军主力的登陆。
• They received the order to harass the enemy's rear.他们接到骚扰敌人后方的命令。

9 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

10 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

11 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

15 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

16 incurred   

[医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式

参考例句：

• She had incurred the wrath of her father by marrying without his consent 她未经父亲同意就结婚，使父亲震怒。
• We will reimburse any expenses incurred. 我们将付还所有相关费用。

17 confessions   

n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔

参考例句：

• It is strictly forbidden to obtain confessions and to give them credence. 严禁逼供信。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions. 既不诱供也不逼供。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

19 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

20 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

21 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。