Nigeria, June 19 -- What happened between Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Air Peace at Lagos airport was an unfortunate altercation. It was a loud, national reminder that Nigeria's institutions of redress are failing and when institutions fail, the powerful take matters into their own hands, while the public watches, helpless.

Senator Oshiomhole claims he was denied boarding despite checking in online the previous night. Air Peace counters that he did not check in online, arrived late and tried to force his way through. The airline accused him of incitement and terminal disruption. The Senator, in turn, accused them of institutional extortion.

The drama was a spectacle that should never have happened. Regardless of whether the Senator was ...