A NATION THAT FAILS TO LEARN, IS ETERNALLY DOOMED TO REPEAT MISTAKES
We, Ghanaians, are an incredible people. We seem to have the propensity to repeat our mistakes over and over
again, with no sign that we ever learn any lessons. And some of the mistakes are so horrific and unimaginable, that
one would naturally assume that any normal human being would imbibe the lessons.
But not Ghanaians.
The recent killing of a young man at a stadium at Nosatre in the Bono Region, leading to the suspension of the
league, brings to my mind an incident I have no doubt many Ghanaians would have no problem recalling, the Accra
Sport Stadium disaster that occurred at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, Ghana, on 9 May 2001.
That incident killed 126 people, making it the worst stadium disaster to have ever taken place in Africa. It is also the
third-deadliest disaster in the history of association football behind the  Estadio Nacional  and  Kanjuruhan Stadium
disasters .
Incidentally, that incident involved Kumasi Asante Kotoko as well.
Ghana's two most successful football teams, Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko, played a match at Hearts of
Oak's home turf, the Accra Sports Stadium, on 9 May 2001. Anticipating crowd disturbances, authorities had
implemented extra security measures—including stationing riot-control police officers at the stadium. Accra scored
two late goals, and a referee called it 2–1 Accra, resulting in disappointed Kotoko fans throwing plastic seats and
bottles onto the pitch.
Police present at scene responded by firing tear gas shells into the crowd. A panic and stampede ensued as fans tried
to flee the irritant fumes. Many of the arena's gates had been locked and the stadium's compromised design left a
bottleneck, with fewer exits than originally planned. The Ghana Institute of Architects called the stadium a "death
trap." After the hour-long ordeal, it was found that 116 deaths resulted from compressive asphyxia and 10 fans died
from trauma.
A fan, Abdul Mohammed, had passed out from the tear gas and was moved to a morgue, presumed dead. He
regained consciousness after someone stepped on his foot, narrowly missing being buried alive.
In the May 9 disaster, reports claim that medical staff had left the stadium before the tragedy ensued, as it took place
near the end of the match. Some gates were locked, preventing escape.
In an interview with BBC News, the deputy Minister of Youth and Sports at the time, Joe Aggrey, described the
event as a devastating one with piles of bodies on the floors of the stadium.
Aftermath
An official inquiry blamed police for over-reacting with reckless behaviour and indiscriminate firing of plastic
bullets and tear gas. It also accused some officers of dishonesty and indefensible laxity. Six police officers were
charged with 127 counts of manslaughter. The court ruled that the prosecution had failed to make a case and that the
asphyxia may have been caused by the stampede and not the tear gas.
The commission of inquiry recommended improvements to stadium security and first aid facilities, and that
nationwide rapid response teams should be set up.
Accra Sports Stadium was renovated in 2007 according to FIFA standards. Politics may have deferred the National
Sports Council's attention to the stadium and it was again in disrepair 15 years after the disaster.
Memorial
As is typical of Ghana and Ghanaians, following the event Ghana's president, John Agyekum Kufuor, called for
three days of mourning. The Ghana Premier Football League suspended play for a month.
Fans who attend matches at the Accra Sports Stadium now chant "Never Again! Never Again!" to remind
themselves of the day.
Well, it may be ‘never again’ at the Accra Sports Stadium, but it is absolutely certain that the message did not get to
Nsoatre.
I saw a video of the deceased, Pooley, being attended to by civilians, casually strolling around, without a care in the
world, were uniformed policemen.
In the same video, one could see an ambulance belonging to the Ghana Ambulance Service in the distance. The
driver and attendees, were nowhere to be found.
If Pooley was stabbed in the stadium, as it has been suggested, then somebody managed to enter the stadium
grounds with a knife or some kind of sharp implement, which should have been easily preventable, if the place had
adequate security.
The Nsoatre incident has many similarities to the Accra Sports Stadium Disaster. It is also a glaring expose that we
learned no lessons from Accra, despite killing over one hundred souls. The policing is still as bad. The medical
staff on hand were not dependable and useful. Response time was nil. There was no adequate security at the
stadium. And many more.

This brings me to my conclusion; if we do not learn necessary lessons from past tragedies, do we have any hope
for our future?
More anon!
(This article was first published under the column Periscope Depth on Monday, 10 th February, 2025. Periscope
Depth is published every Monday in the Daily Searchlight).