VOA常速英语2019--尼日利亚绑架案引发恐慌（在线收听）

Kidnapping Raise Fear Among Nigerians

Olumide Peter was on his way back from an evening class of the International Institute of Journalism in Abuja when several men hijacked his car and took him away.

Olumide Peter从阿布贾国际新闻学院夜校回家的路途中，几名男子突然劫持了他的车，并带走了他。

“I tried to maneuver myself to open the door; they overpowered me. They hit me with a spanner and some vehicle tools and immediately the guy came out with a gun. He said he’s going to kill me.”

“我努力挣扎着想要去把门打开，但他们人多力气大。他们用扳手和汽车修理工具砸我，忽然间一名男子走出来，手里拿着把枪，说要杀了我。”

He was held for several days and tortured until an unknown amount was paid to the kidnappers.

他被劫持了好几天，受尽折磨，直到交出一笔赎金绑匪才放他走。 

Nigeria is seeing an unusual wave of abductions that is cutting across every socioeconomic class.

近来，尼日利亚有些不同寻常，绑架案件此起彼伏，各个阶层无一幸免。 

According to the police, 685 kidnappings occurred countrywide in the first quarter of the year, an average of seven per day.

据警方表示，仅在今年第一季度，尼日利亚全国范围内就发生685起绑架案件，平均每天7例。 

Kidnappers demand between 1000 dollars to 150,000 dollars as ransom, depending on the financial resources of the victims.

绑匪通常会索要一笔1000至15万美元不等的赎金，赎金大小取决于受害者的经济状况。 

In the past, many abductions were traced to militants in the south agitating against oil companies, or the Islamic militant group Boko Haram in the north.

过去，许多绑架案件都是由南方煽动反对石油公司的激进分子，或北方伊斯兰激进分子团体Boko Haram挑起的。

But security experts say the recent abductions are the result of Nigeria’s economic hardships and poverty.

不过，安全专家表示近期的绑架案主要是尼日利亚国内经济萧条和贫困状况导致的。 

“In fact, most of us saw it coming, because there is hunger in the land.

事实上，我们大多数人都明白为什么会有这些绑架案，因为我们的人民吃不饱肚子。 

And Nigeria has been on economic doldrums for some years now,

并且这些年来，尼日利亚一直处于经济萧条期， 

and crime will increase, definitely, because people become more desperate.”

犯罪率上升这是必然的，因为人们越来越走投无路。” 

The Nigeria government has responded to the wave of kidnappings by setting up an abduction response team.

尼日利亚政府建立了绑架案应对小组来回应大批的绑架案例。 

Nigeria police spokesperson Frank Mbah says the team is making some progress.

尼日利亚警方发言人Frank Mbah 表示，该小组已取得初步进展。 

“That is actually a decrease, a significant drop in the rate of kidnapping in Nigeria. And this drop began to manifest itself soon after the launching of oppression Puff Adder, a very lethal, a very functional, a very effective and efficient anti-crime strategy.”

“尼日利亚的绑架案有所下降，可以说是大幅下降。在打压鼓腹毒蛇运动发起之后，这一下降尤为明显。打压鼓腹毒蛇运动是一个十分强劲，十分有效的打击犯罪策略。”

But security expert Senator Iroegbu says the Nigeria police force may be unprepared for the tasks ahead.

然而安全专家 Senator Iroegbu 表示尼日利亚警方可能并没有做好准备。 

“The number of police force is not near to the standard, the United Nations standard, per 500 people or 1000 people within a space.

“按照联合国标准，每一区域内需要部署500至1000名警察，而尼日利亚警方离这一目标还有较大差距。

So, we are short of manpower. We are short of intelligence. We are short of communal cooperation that we need.”

所以，我们既缺乏人力，也缺乏头脑。我们也需要更多不同群体间的合作。” 

Last week, tens of kidnappers captured across Nigeria were paraded publicly in Abuja.

上周，数十名在尼日利亚被逮捕的绑匪在阿布贾公开游行。 

Experts like Iroegbu believe if triggers like unemployment and poverty can be reduced, the abduction wave would get smaller too.

Iroegbu 这样的专家认为，如果像失业、贫困这样的情况能有所缓解，绑架案就会有所下降。 

While security officials crack down on perpetrators, victims like Olumide move on with their lives ,careful about where they go, aware that they could be a kidnapping victim again.

当安保人员打压罪犯之时，像Olumide 这样的受害者像往常一样继续过着自己的生活。只不过他们依然担心自己去哪里才会安全，依然清楚自己可能再次落入绑匪之手。