My husband had to surrender his Ivory Coast passport to the UK Embassy in Ghana while his final, successful application was processed, and he had to fly back to his home country without it. The check-in staff were understandably unimpressed and at first wouldn't let him board the plane. Luckily there is an agreement of free passage between nine W African countries, called CEDEAO, and he had his card with him. After bribing the Ghanaian security guards they let him fly. Bribery is usual in Africa, but totally out of order as the CEDEAO should have been enough.
Also the UK Border people demanded an interpreter for him and wouldn't let me do it (as an 'interested party') so we had to pay for that too. The same thing applied at the marriage ceremony.