Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin, has said the tragic stampede at El-Wak Stadium was not due to poor planning but an unforeseen breakdown in an otherwise well-structured recruitment process.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Captain Arhin explained that the Armed Forces have successfully conducted recruitment exercises over the years with strong security and organisational measures in place.
However, last week’s incident, which claimed several lives, was an unfortunate deviation from expectations.
“We had a solid plan for the recruitment process, but things did not go as expected, which unfortunately led to the loss of lives,” she said.
She dismissed suggestions that the GAF had failed to prepare adequately.
“The fact that there was an accident does not mean we did not prepare. We did, but things didn’t go the way we planned. That is why we have introduced new measures, including additional centres,” she added.
Captain Arhin noted that for the first time, the recruitment exercise is being conducted across all 16 regions, a move aimed at easing pressure on the El-Wak centre.
She emphasised that the Armed Forces remain one of the country’s most credible institutions and have taken full responsibility for the incident.
“For the first time, the recruitment is taking place across all 16 regions, which demonstrates comprehensive planning. It’s not that we didn’t plan adequately; rather, things didn’t go as expected. We take responsibility and remain committed to continuously reviewing our procedures to improve future operations,” she said.
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