Man emerges from bush and climbs onto plane at Nigeria's busiest airport

A man climbs onto a plane while it's on the runway.
A passenger posted videos of the man as he climbed in and around the plane. Photo credit: Instagram/Otto_Orondaam

A man in jandals has forced a plane to halt its takeoff journey before climbing atop its wing and reportedly putting a bag inside one of the engines.

Otto Orondaam, a passenger on the plane, posted about the experience as it happened on his Instagram account saying it left him breathless with panic.

"For 30 minutes we have been stuck at the runway... by an unidentified man who ran to the aircraft with a bag.

"Security has not showed up and everyone is panicking. I have so many questions to ask but right now I can't even breathe."

Once the man had been arrested, the plane returned to its terminal and passengers safely disembarked, Orandaam posted his full account of the incident which occurred during the plane's apparently normal approach to takeoff.

"So our flight was taxing on the runway and about taking off [sic] when this man shows up running towards the moving aircraft from the bush. 

"The pilot and a few passengers spotted him running towards the aircraft and the pilot immediately slowed down and quickly put off the engine.

It was then that the situation became unsettling for the plane's passengers.

"The guy approaches the plane with gloves and starts walking around and under the aircraft, holding a bag which he dropped inside the engine."

Orandaam's videos show the man, wearing jandals, climbing completely inside one of the plane's engines as well as on top of one of the wings while a fellow passenger speculates: "He looks like a mad person".

Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria spokeswoman Henrietta Yakubu told The Associated Press the Azman Air plane had taxied back for a "thorough check" before safely departing for Port Harcourt about 600km southeast.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that a 'reliable source' said the man claimed he wanted to travel to Ghana upon his arrest.

Newshub.