GAF Recruitment: One person arrested at El-Wak over forged documents

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has confirmed the arrest of an applicant who attempted to use forged documents during the ongoing recruitment screening at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra.

The arrest was made on Thursday, November 20, 2025, after GAF’s document verification team detected inconsistencies in the suspect’s credentials. Officials say the candidate was immediately handed over to security authorities to prevent what they described as attempts by “fraudsters infiltrating the military.”

GAF officials deployed to the stadium explained that the document screening system has been strengthened following recent events and is designed to ensure only qualified applicants progress. The Director of Protocol for the Ghana Armed Forces, Colonel Evelyn Asamoah, confirmed the incident and said the suspect will face the appropriate sanctions in line with military recruitment procedures.

The arrest comes as the recruitment exercise resumes under enhanced safety and operational measures. The process was suspended on November 12 after a deadly stampede at the same venue led to the death of six applicants and left several others severely injured. President John Dramani Mahama directed a full review of the recruitment system before operations could continue.

Following the review, the GAF has introduced stricter crowd management strategies. One of the major changes is the division of applicants across five separate screening centres to prevent overcrowding and improve the pace of verification.

Providing updates on the new measures, Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin, Director-General of Public Affairs at GAF, said the number of applicants allowed at El-Wak per day has been drastically reduced.

“The numbers that will be at El-Wak will not be more than 1,200. This is because we are going to have two groups there, each made up of 600 potential recruits,” she said.

She explained that the exercise will run for a minimum of five days and will be carried out in stages to ensure order and efficiency. “The screening is in phases, and this is phase one, where we verify their information and do the body checks,” Captain Arhin noted.

Nearly 500 applicants have already passed through the initial screening since the process resumed.

Meanwhile the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), William Agyapong, together with members of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, led by James Agalga, have visited the El Wak Stadium to monitor the exercise.

Chairs have been provided across the screening lanes to allow applicants to sit while waiting their turn, one of the key safety adjustments recommended after the tragedy.

The Ministry of Defence and the GAF say the enhanced system is intended to both safeguard applicants and maintain the integrity of the military’s recruitment standards as the country continues its efforts to strengthen national security structures.