2006年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Militia Leader in Court

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
12 April 2006

The leader of the Niger Delta¹ Volunteer Force, Moujahid Dokubo-Asari, has appeared in a Nigerian court to face treason charges. The trial process could be delayed as lawyers argue on issues ranging from bail² to the competence³ of the trial judge.

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Moujahid Dokubo-Asari (file photo)   
  

Dokubo-Asari was again in defiant⁴ mood as he made his appearance in court in Abuja. Wearing a black T-shirt with the name of his group, the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, printed on it, the militia⁵ leader was escorted by armed policemen.

His lawyers objected to the continuation of the trial in view of an application before a higher court seeking bail. His lawyers are also seeking the disqualification of the current judge, as Festus Keyamo, a lawyer to the militia leader explains.

"He does not sit in this jurisdiction⁶ ... to come and hear this particular matter," he said. "We are saying it raises the likelihood of bias⁷, that the members of the public looking at this fact will naturally think something special is being planned in respect of this particular accused person. We want him to be treated like any other accused person brought before this court."

The release of Dokubo-Asari has been one of the key demands of militants⁸ responsible for recent kidnappings and attacks in the Delta. Ethnic⁹ Ijaw groups have stepped up their campaign for a better deal for the impoverished¹⁰ inhabitants of the Niger Delta.

Onengiya Erekosima, spokesman for the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, says the group is committed to autonomy for ethnic Ijaw, or Izon, people.

"We are saying we are not Nigerians and that we are Izon [Ijaws] people and we should be given the right to choose where we belong. That is what we are saying. So whatever they are doing, I do not know where they are getting that from. That is their business," he said.

The Movement for the Emancipation¹¹ of the Niger Delta has threatened to continue attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta. Recent violence has cut Nigeria's daily oil production of 2.5 million barrels by more than 20 percent.

International oil prices have risen in reaction to the crisis in the Delta. National power generation has also suffered significantly, following disruption of gas supplies to three major power stations.

Observers say there very little chance that the violence will abate¹² anytime soon, given the lack of progress in addressing the grievances¹³ of the militants.

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 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

3 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

4 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

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 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

7 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

8 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

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 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》

12 abate   

vi.(风势，疼痛等)减弱，减轻，减退

参考例句：

• We must abate the noise pollution in our city.我们必须消除我们城里的噪音污染。
• The doctor gave him some medicine to abate the powerful pain.医生给了他一些药，以减弱那剧烈的疼痛。

13 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》