Nigeria: The Men of Sandhurst

Outside the federal parliament building in Lagos, troops with fixed bayonets warned a swarm of curious small boys to "Go 'way, go 'way, this is no place for children today." In the lobby of the Ikoyi Hotel, scrubwomen used Dettol antiseptic to scour bloodstains off the marble floor. Throughout the capital city, telephones were mysteriously out of order. Alerting Nigeria to stay tuned for an important announcement, the government radio station canceled its regular programs, filled the time with music, 15 minutes of talking drums, a taped travelogue and a well-worn recorded...

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