Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Acting Defence Minister, has announced with deep regret a tragic incident that occurred this morning, Wednesday, 12th November 2025, at the El-Wak Military Sports Facility during the ongoing recruitment exercise of the Ghana Armed Forces, to the Parliament of Ghana.
Hon. Ato Forson, in his report, revealed that 34 persons were directly involved as casualties—some of whom were not potential recruits:
- 6 persons have been confirmed dead
- 5 are in critical condition and receiving treatment at the ICU
- 12 are fairly critical
- The rest are stable and under observation
Additionally, there has been a reported case of one person hospitalized at the Kumasi recruitment centre, though that incident is unrelated to the stampede in Accra.
In light of these developments, the Ministry of Defence has suspended the recruitment process in Accra until further notice.
As Honourable Members are aware, the application process closed last Friday, 7th November 2025. According to him, all potential applicants were duly notified to appear at their chosen regional recruitment centres for documentation verification on Wednesday, 12th November, and for body selection on Thursday, 13th November 2025.
This year’s recruitment exercise is being conducted simultaneously across all regions—a new approach designed to decentralize the process, reduce congestion, and ensure fairness and accessibility nationwide, he emphasized.
Unfortunately, despite these measures, a stampede occurred at the El-Wak facility in Accra.
“I wish to assure Honourable Members that in all other regions, the exercise is progressing smoothly and without incident,” he stated.
Mr. Speaker, the Ministry deeply mourns the loss of life and extends its condolences to the affected families.
“We are working closely with the Ghana Armed Forces, medical teams, and law enforcement agencies to provide full support to the injured and to investigate the circumstances that led to this tragedy. As a result, the Ghana Armed Forces has instituted an internal Board of Inquiry to determine the cause of this unfortunate incident,” he added.
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