This news just in from Nigeria: Nearly 100 foreign oil workers–including 21 Americans and 35 Britons–were being held hostage by striking Nigerian workers aboard offshore installations. This according to company officials and union workers said Tuesday.

The strikers have been holding 97 foreign counterparts aboard four offshore drilling rigs owned by Houston-based Transocean since April 19. The action in a remote area off the West African nation’s coastline became known only recently.

The rigs were drilling wells on behalf of oil multinationals Royal/Dutch Shell and TotalFina Elf.

In other news from Nigeria, It has been 10 days since voters there went to the polls but the results are still in dispute.

Sitting Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has claimed victory but international election monitors reported widespread voting fraud.

Nigeria’s main opposition parties had called on the international community not to recognize the election results.

Obasanjo’s main challenger, Muhammadu Buhari vowed to challenge the results. Buhari is the head of the All Nigeria Peoples Party. The opposition parties have also rejected the April 12 legislative election results citing vote rigging on behalf of Obasanjo’s party.

• Sowore Omoyele, Nigerian student leader who is now enrolled at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.