Videos have emerged on social media showing how potential recruits who thronged the El-Wak Sports Stadium for the 2025/2026 Ghana Armed Forces recruitment exercise climbed over the stadium walls to gain access to the inner perimeter.

Some of them were captured struggling to climb over the walls, while those who had managed to gain access to the inner perimeter were seen assisting their peers.

Military Recruitment Stampede: Six dead, five in intensive care unit, 12 in critical condition - Reports

In one of the videos on X sighted by GhanaWeb, a lady, despite struggling to climb the wall, forced her way through with assistance from those outside.

The videos, recorded in the early hours of Wednesday, November 12, 2025, also showed a large crowd patiently waiting outside the stadium for the exercise to begin. However, it cannot be determined whether the videos were taken before or after the stampede occurred.

Six people died in a stampede at the El-Wak Sports Stadium during the military recruitment exercise.

The tragic incident has been attributed to an unexpected surge in the number of applicants who thronged the stadium.

Reports indicate that applicants breached security protocols and rushed to the stadium gates even before the scheduled start of the exercise.

In an official statement confirming the incident, the Acting Director General of Public Relations for the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin, said, "The Ghana Armed Forces deeply regrets to inform the general public of a tragic stampede prior to the commencement of the 2025/2026 recruitment exercise today Wednesday 12 November 2025 at the El-Wak Sports Stadium, Accra.
The statement continued, “Preliminary investigations indicate that the stampede was triggered by an unexpected surge of applicants who breached security protocols and rushed into the gates ahead of scheduled screening at about 0620 hours.”

Mother condemns deadly chaos at military exercise recruitment

The Ghana Armed Forces also disclosed that several other recruits sustained injuries and have since been rushed to the 37 Military Hospital for medical treatment.

"The unfortunate incident led to the death of 6 potential recruits and many others injured. The injured are currently receiving emergency medical care at the 37 Military Hospital. Ghana Armed Forces assures the general public that medical teams are working tirelessly to stabilise affected individuals," the GAF clarified.

LIVE | Thousands of young men and women gather at the El Wak Sports Stadium awaiting screening into the Ghana Armed Forces. pic.twitter.com/4CyVZOykzI

— The1957News (@The1957News) November 12, 2025