Six potential military recruits in the ongoing military recruitment at the El-Wak Stadium have been confirmed dead.
The information gathered suggests the six died as a result of a stampede at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
According to reports, thousands of young Ghanaians thronged the El-Wak stadium in a desperate bid to secure enlistment into the Ghana military.
There was chaos as the large crowd jostled at the entry points, resulting in a stampede that led to multiple injuries and fatalities.
The information gathered suggests the bodies of the six deceased have been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital morgue.
Several other potential military recruits are receiving emergency treatment at the facility’s casualty ward.
Security personnel have since cordoned off the area.
The military has also blocked all major roads leading to El-Wak Stadium to maintain order.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Armed Forces had earlier announced the extension of its ongoing recruitment exercise for one week following challenges on the portal.
According to the Ghana Armed Forces statement, their decision to extend the deadline was a result of some technical challenges encountered on the recruitment portal.
It will be recalled that the Ghana Armed Forces announced that 12,000 personnel would be recruited in the nationwide exercise.
The Deputy Minister for Defence, Hon. Ernest Brogya Genfi, has announced the government’s plans to commence the recruitment of 12,000 personnel into the Ghana Armed Forces over the next three years, as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s military and defence capabilities.
Brogya Genfi added that as part of the president’s dedication to fairness in the distribution of opportunities, the price of application forms has been slashed by 40% and the recruitment processes will be held at all regional levels.
Hon. Genfi stressed that recruitment into the GAF “is not for sale and will never be for sale,” warning against fraudulent syndicates exploiting the process.
In related news, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, has threatened legal action against the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) if they fail to review the maximum age requirement for enlistment.
According to Dafeamekpor, the current age cap should be aligned with the National Youth Authority Act, 2016 (Act 939).
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, October 9, 2025, Dafeamekpor argued, “I intend to test this matter because, you see, we need to test systems to let systems work. And when systems are supposed to work, they must work within the existing legal framework. We must all obey the law”.
“I won’t have any problem if the armed forces say that the person between the ages of 15 years and 35 years is eligible to apply, but subject to a medical fitness test, because in a lot of countries, persons below 18 years are eligible to be recruited into the army, subject to parental consent,” he noted.
He further explained, “So this matter must be tested; if the army resists this call, it may leave me with no option but to seek a remedy in the judicial forum. Our army is constitutionally established and given effect to it under Article 102 by Parliament, and subsequently with legislation such as the National Youth Authority Act, which is the law that governs the youth bracket of this country, whether the army can continue to conduct its business without recourse to this laid down legislation”.
See the statement below:
Scenes at El Wak Stadium this morning as applicants for the Ghana Armed Forces recruitment mass for a screening exercise. pic.twitter.com/yY65ca038B
— EDHUB🌍ℹ (@eddie_wrt) November 12, 2025