A man has been filmed climbing on to the wing of a passenger plane before takeoff, reportedly causing panic among passengers.

In dramatic footage taken from inside the aircraft the man is seen hauling himself up from the rim of the jet engine onto the wing of the Boeing 737 plane and then walking towards the cabin.

The incident occurred on an Azman Air flight in Lagos, Nigeria. The aircraft was reportedly at a holding bay expecting clearance for take-off when the man was seen climbing onto the wing, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (Nan).

The agency said it was not known how the man had apparently managed to “illegally” gain access to the aircraft, although the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos has suffered from problems with security in the past.

The man’s actions reportedly caused a panic and some of the passengers demanded the pilot and cabin crew open the aircraft doors for them to disembark due to safety concerns.

The general manager for corporate affairs at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Henrietta Yakubu, confirmed the incident had taken place and said the man had been arrested.

She said the stowaway was arrested by security officers and was taken to Tango City, a security unit within the airport.

A spokesperson for the Lagos Airport Police Command, Joseph Alabi, also confirmed the incident to the Nan news agency.

A “reliable source” told Nan the man, upon arrest, claimed he wanted to travel to Ghana but refused to disclose how he managed to gain access to the restricted airside.