The Vice Chair of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has urged the Ghana Armed Forces to take full accountability for the circumstances that led to the fatal stampede at the El Wak Sports Stadium, stressing that both institutional and national failures contributed to the tragedy.
He welcomed the military’s initial steps toward reviewing the incident but insisted that broader reforms are required.
“From an oversight position, I was happy to hear the Chief of Defence Staff say he has set up an investigative committee,” he said on TV3’s Hot Issues with Keminni Amanor.
Providing an update on survivors, Toobu expressed cautious optimism. “Five are still in ICU, 12 are responding to treatment.
“We are hoping that all those in critical condition will come back well. The doctors are not sleeping; they are doing the best that they can.”
He stressed that the tragedy reflected deeper systemic lapses in planning and crowd management.
“The military could have done better. Planning as a country is something we have a challenge with. The Armed Forces cannot run away from the blame. All of us as Ghanaians should take the blame,” he stated.
Toobu also highlighted the importance of modernizing recruitment processes, citing earlier improvements by law enforcement agencies.
“The Ghana Police Service has demonstrated in the past that it is doable. Getting more centres, using technology — these are Gen-Zs who understand technology,” he remarked.
He emphasised that the treatment of applicants must change fundamentally.
“Before they become recruits, they should be treated as normal people, as citizens, not as recruits,” he said, urging security institutions to center human dignity and safety in all future recruitment exercises.
