By Daniel Bampoe
A tragic stampede at the El Wak Sports Stadium in Accra has claimed the lives of six young men and women who had gathered for the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) 2025/2026 recruitment exercise.
Several others sustained various degrees of injury and are currently receiving treatment at the 37 Military Hospital.
The Ghana Armed Forces confirmed the incident in an official statement issued on Wednesday morning, expressing deep regret over the tragedy that occurred just before the screening exercise was scheduled to begin.
Preliminary investigations, according to the GAF, revealed that the stampede was triggered by a sudden surge of applicants who breached security barriers and rushed through the gates at approximately 6:20 a.m.
Eyewitnesses told reporters that the crowd, made up of thousands of eager applicants, had been gathering outside the El Wak Stadium since dawn.
Many of them had travelled from different regions in hopes of securing a spot in one of the most competitive recruitment processes. As the gates opened, panic and confusion erupted, leading to a chaotic rush that resulted in multiple people being trampled.
Security officials at the scene struggled to control the surging crowd as applicants pushed their way into the stadium, ignoring repeated warnings to remain calm and follow the entry protocol. The stampede left several unconscious, while others suffered broken bones and head injuries before emergency medical teams intervened.
The Ghana Armed Forces, in its statement, noted that all the injured individuals were immediately transported to the 37 Military Hospital for urgent medical attention.
“The GAF assures the general public that medical teams are working tirelessly to stabilise the affected individuals. Arrangements are also being made to notify the families of the deceased,” the statement said.
The military hierarchy has since suspended activities at the El Wak centre pending a full-scale investigation into the incident.
Officials say the recruitment process will continue at other designated centres under heightened security and crowd management protocols to prevent a recurrence.
This is not the first time a recruitment exercise in Ghana has turned chaotic.
The latest incident at El Wak has sparked public outrage, with many calling for the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence to review the current recruitment model, which attracts tens of thousands of applicants for a few hundred available slots.
Critics argue that the overwhelming unemployment rate among the youth continues to push large numbers of jobseekers toward security agencies, creating conditions ripe for such tragedies.
At the time of filling this report, President John Dramani Mahama arrived at the 37 Military Hospital to access the situation on the grounds.
