Recruitment stampede: Military rejects claims it abandoned injured victim, cites GH¢143,800 support

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The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has rejected suggestions that it has abandoned Sandra Baafi Boateng, one of the victims of the military recruitment stampede at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, detailing medical and financial assistance provided to her and her family since the incident.

The military says it has spent approximately GH¢113,800 on her medical care and given her family an additional GH¢30,000 in financial assistance, alongside medical equipment and arrangements for continued treatment.

Sandra, 25, sustained a severe head injury during the stampede on November 12, 2025, and was admitted to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), where she received treatment until February 26, 2026.

Following a visit by a Ministry of Defence delegation on February 20, 2026, her family requested that she be moved to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra for further care.

The GAF subsequently arranged an air medical evacuation, with a military medical team transferring her from Kumasi to the Accra-based facility on February 26.

At the time, Sandra was semi-conscious but responsive to pain. The military said it had been informed by the KATH medical team that she had been taken off the ventilator and was being fed through a tube.

A medical assessment on March 8 indicated that her condition had not changed significantly after the transfer. However, she received additional specialist services at the 37 Military Hospital, including physiotherapy, dietetic care and palliative support. Her mother was also offered assistance by the hospital’s Therapy and Wellness team.

Medical bills and financial assistance

The Armed Forces put the cost of Sandra’s treatment at KATH at approximately GH¢85,000 for the period between November 12, 2025, and February 26, 2026, adding that the bill was being settled.

Her eight-month admission at the 37 Military Hospital, from February 26 to October 28, 2026, was estimated at GH¢28,800, calculated at GH¢120 a day.

The two amounts bring the stated medical expenditure to approximately GH¢113,800.

After her discharge from the 37 Military Hospital, her family requested that she be taken back to Kumasi. The military said it had assured them that medical attention would continue through the 4th Military Hospital in the Ashanti Regional capital until her recovery.

At a ceremony at the General Headquarters Public Affairs Conference Hall on October 28, 2026, Sandra’s mother was presented with GH¢30,000 to support the family’s needs.

She also received an air bed to make her daughter’s care more comfortable. The family was offered a wheelchair but declined it on the grounds that they already had one.

The event was attended by senior military officers, including the Director-General of Human Resource, Director-General of Religious Affairs, Director of Military Police, a representative of the Medical Branch and the Director of Discipline.

Before the presentation, the Director-General of Religious Affairs offered prayers and counselling to the parents of two victims who had been discharged from the 37 Military Hospital.

Disagreement over transport to Kumasi

The military also disclosed that it had offered to transport Sandra from Accra to Kumasi in a military ambulance.

Her mother, however, requested air transportation. When an airlift could not be arranged at the time, she declined the ambulance offer and chose to travel with the National Ambulance Service.

Sister enrolled in military training

In a further intervention, the GAF said it had introduced an arrangement to offer recruitment opportunities to family members of victims in place of their affected relatives.

Under the arrangement, Sandra’s sister, Mercy Bioh, is undergoing training at the Army Recruit Training School at Shai Hills.

The Armed Forces said its support for Sandra had not ended with her discharge from the 37 Military Hospital, maintaining that the 4th Military Hospital remained available to provide medical assistance following her return to Kumasi.

The account, it said, was intended to clarify the interventions made since the stampede and respond to concerns about the welfare of the victims.

Radio1 Online