President Olusegun Obasanjo has intervened in the two-week siege of four Nigerian oil rigs, where almost 100 foreign workers are being detained by striking workers. He has directed the leaders of Nigeria’s oil workers union to have talks on Friday with Transocean, the company which owns of the rigs in the capital, Abuja. The BBC’s Dan Isaacs in Lagos says the issue has become an embarrassment for the government as concern increases for the safety of those being held. Navy ships are on standby should they be required to intervene and this has agitated the strikers, who have made threats to the lives of those held if force were used against them. The workers are protesting about employment conditions and the sacking of five colleagues. Ninety-seven foreign workers, including about 20 Americans and 30 Britons, have been trapped on the platforms since 19 April, but parties on both sides of the dispute have been reluctant to call them hostages. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.