Ghanaians on social media are expressing outrage over the Ghana Armed Forces’ (GAF) handling of its recruitment exercise in Accra, which led to a stampede at the El-Wak Sports Stadium claimed six lives and left several others injured.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, during the documentation and body selection phase of the 2025/2026 GAF recruitment process.
Thousands of young applicants had gathered at the stadium, leading to severe overcrowding and a chaotic rush at the gates before the scheduled start of the exercise.
All six individuals who died were young female applicants. President John Dramani Mahama confirmed this while addressing the launch of the “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” Poultry Initiative in Kumasi, after he had visited some of the victims earlier in the day.
The Ghana Armed Forces has since released two official statements. One announcing the tragic incident and extending condolences to the bereaved families, and another announcing the temporary suspension of the recruitment exercise in Accra.
“This is to allow for additional measures to ensure a seamless exercise,” the statement read.
The GAF also posted on social media to clarify that the official death toll was six and urged the public to disregard other circulating figures.
The incident has sparked widespread grief, anger, and calls for accountability.
Many Ghanaians have criticised the Armed Forces for what they describe as negligence and poor planning, arguing that the tragedy could have been avoided with better crowd management.
Social media users questioned why a disciplined institution like the Ghana Armed Forces failed to anticipate the massive turnout and put in place basic crowd control measures such as barriers, different entry times or days, or additional security personnel.
