2007年VOA标准英语-Gunmen Kidnap at Least 3 Oil Workers in Nigeria

By Sarah Simpson
Lagos
01 June 2007

At least three foreigners have been kidnapped by gunmen and two people injured in Nigeria's southern oil city of Port Harcourt Friday. The incident comes days after new President Umaru Yar'Adua called for an end to violence in the delta¹ to allow for a period of discourse². Sarah Simpson reports from Lagos.

Police say the victims were snatched early Friday by unidentified but well armed gunmen who raided a residential³ compound where the workers were staying in Port Harcourt.

Rivers State spokeswoman Irejua Barasua says at least three foreign workers were abducted⁴ and two people - possibly police officers - were caught up in the cross-fire.

Barasua said that the gunmen may have taken off with more than three hostages, but she could not confirm details.

This is the first kidnapping to take place since the country's new President Umaru Yar'Adua made an appeal for calm in the delta at his inauguration⁵ on Tuesday.

Mr. Yar'Adua is hopes dialogue will end a crisis that has forced oil companies to cut production by 25 percent. He plans to hold a Niger Delta Summit in the capital Abuja on Monday and has promised action to

resolve the crisis within his first 100 days in office.

The nationality of the victims was not immediately clear, though police said they were foreign nationals, possibly of Asian origin.

Foreign workers have become prized targets for gun-toting militant⁶ and criminal groups operating in the oil-rich region.

Jomo Gbomo is the nickname of one of the main militant groups' spokesman. He told VOA in an e-mail - the only means of communication he will use with journalists - that the president's promises of dialog were "nothing new." He said, "We want action and not more talk."

Gbomo's group, the Movement for the Emancipation⁷ of the Niger Delta, or "MEND," has staged many of the attacks on oil installations.

MEND say they are not responsible for Friday's kidnappings.

Some 180 foreign nationals have been seized in the last 18 months. Militant groups like MEND say they are fighting injustice⁸ in the Niger Delta, which despite its vast oil reserves remains⁹ impoverished¹⁰.

Kidnappings have increasingly become a money making enterprise by armed youths out to extract hefty ransom¹¹ payments.

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil exporter and the third largest supplier to the United States.

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 discourse   

n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述

参考例句：

• We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。
• He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。

3 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

4 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

5 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

6 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

7 emancipation   

n.（从束缚、支配下）解放

参考例句：

• We must arouse them to fight for their own emancipation. 我们必须唤起他们为其自身的解放而斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They rejoiced over their own emancipation. 他们为自己的解放感到欢欣鼓舞。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。