Deadly Stampede Claims Six Lives at Military Recruitment Event in Accra

A tragic stampede at El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra has claimed six lives and left dozens injured during a Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) recruitment exercise. The incident occurred early Tuesday morning when hundreds of potential recruits gathered at the screening center.

According to the Ghana Armed Forces, the stampede was triggered around 6:20 AM when “an unexpected surge of applicants breached security protocols and rushed into the gates ahead of scheduled screening.” Videos circulating on social media showed severe congestion both inside and outside the stadium, with some desperate recruits attempting to scale walls to gain entry.

The incident quickly became the subject of conflicting reports, with some media outlets initially reporting 12 fatalities, twice the actual number. This misinformation prompted a swift rebuttal from military authorities.

Brigadier General Evelyn Vivian Abraham-Kwabiah, commander of the 37 Military Hospital where casualties were transported, clarified the situation: “There is erroneous information going out. The casualties we have that came through were 28 in number. Those who are dead are six and not 12. Those who are critical and in the ICU are five. We have 12 who are fairly critical, the rest are stable.”

Acting Director General of Public Relations Evelyn Ntiamoah Asamoah reportedly protested to journalists present about the inaccurate death toll reporting. Both Channel One TV and GhanaWeb, who had initially reported 12 deaths, later corrected their stories to reflect the accurate figure of six fatalities.

President John Dramani Mahama, Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, visited the injured at the 37 Military Hospital hours after the incident. Although he did not address the media at the hospital, he later spoke at the official launch of the Nkoko Nketenkete program in Kumasi, where he confirmed the casualties and revealed all six deceased were female.

“We have been informed by the Army of six dead individuals, who are all females,” President Mahama stated. He also noted that a similar incident in Kumasi left one person critically injured.

The recruitment drive, which began online on October 1 and closed on November 7, was part of an ambitious plan to recruit 12,000 personnel into the Ghana Armed Forces over the next three and a half years. The physical screening process was scheduled for November 12-13 across all 16 regions of Ghana.

The GAF had established specific requirements for applicants, including minimum height standards of 1.68 meters for males and 1.57 meters for females, with stricter requirements for Military Police positions. The body selection stage, known as attestation, involved final physical examinations and document verification.

In response to the tragedy, the military has suspended the recruitment process in the Greater Accra Region, though it will continue as scheduled in the other 15 regions. A board of inquiry has been established to investigate the circumstances leading to the incident, with additional measures planned to ensure a safer process when recruitment resumes in Accra.

President Mahama emphasized that the public recruitment process fulfilled a campaign promise made before the 2024 election. “In previous years, recruitment for the armed forces was handled privately. Before the 2024 election, I promised that, upon coming into power, we would announce applications publicly, offering youth from all regions an opportunity to apply,” he explained.

The incident highlights the intense pressure on Ghana’s military recruitment system amid high youth unemployment, with the overwhelming turnout suggesting significant demand for the limited positions available in the armed forces.