2007年VOA标准英语-Gunmen Seize Two Foreign Oil Workers in Nigeria

By Sarah Simpson
Lagos
07 April 2007

Nigerian police have confirmed that two foreign oil workers have been seized by gunmen, the latest in a series of kidnappings in the troubled delta¹ region. Sarah Simpson reports for VOA from Lagos.

The men were snatched from their car Friday night in Port Harcourt, the main city in Nigeria's oil-producing south.

Both are Turkish nationals working as engineers for a corporation subcontracted to Italian oil company Agip, according to police.

Police Commissioner² Felix Ogbaudu told VOA that the two men were kidnapped after their car was stopped by unidentified gunmen.

"Well, I understand they were heading for their guest house here in Port Harcourt and somebody obstructed³ them when they were in motion and they were taken away," he said.

Police do not know who took the men or where they have been taken to.

The Niger Delta is a hotbed of unrest where more than 60 foreign nationals have been taken hostage this year alone. In addition to the two Turks kidnapped Friday, two Chinese nationals remain in captivity⁴. All the others have been released.

A number of militia⁵ groups operate in the area. Some of the kidnappings have been carried out by militia groups who say they are seeking redress⁶ from the Nigerian government and oil companies who have pumped billions of dollars of crude from beneath their feet but left residents poor.

However, analysts⁷ say that hostage taking is increasingly a money-making enterprise for criminal gangs.

Kidnappers⁸ demand tens of thousands of dollars for the safe return of foreign staff, who are generally released unharmed. Oil companies officially deny payment of ransom⁹.

Kidnappings and attacks on oil installations have forced oil companies in the delta to cut production by 20 percent in the past year.

1 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

2 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

3 obstructed   

阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• Tall trees obstructed his view of the road. 有大树挡着，他看不到道路。
• The Irish and Bristol Channels were closed or grievously obstructed. 爱尔兰海峡和布里斯托尔海峡或遭受封锁，或受到了严重阻碍。

4 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

5 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

6 redress   

n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除

参考例句：

• He did all that he possibly could to redress the wrongs.他尽了一切努力革除弊端。
• Any man deserves redress if he has been injured unfairly.任何人若蒙受不公平的损害都应获得赔偿。

7 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。

8 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。