Nigeria, Feb. 1 -- Our short stay in the land of the Amazon women who fought better than many a man was memorable. I had written an earlier piece "Christmas musings in Cotonou and the "japa" syndrome" on our Christmas experience. With Christmas over and our invitation elapsed, we had to move on. Rather than go through the nauseating demands at privatised toll collection points by Nigerians in uniform, by way of the Seme-Krake land border, we chose to leave Benin Republic through the Cadjehoun Cotonou Airport.

The journey to the airport on the morning of 28 December, 2022, was smooth until we were stopped by the police along what I chose to call the diplomatic highway that has many embassies, the presidency, as well as the statue of the b...