It happened on an Azman Air flight at Nigeria's busiest airport in the city of Lagos.
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According to the airline, the man jumped onto a wing of the plane and tried to access the cabin.
The pilot spotted the man and turned off the plane's engine.
Video taken by a passenger shows the man moving around the wing of the plane as frightened passengers called on the crew to open the exit doors.
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The man was eventually arrested.
It was not clear how he reached the plane or what his intention was.
No one was injured.