Commission begins inquiries into accident

The five member Commission of Inquiry into the Accra Sports Stadium disaster in which 126 soccer fans died has began sitting to look into what went wrong on that faithful day.

The Acting Chief Executive of the National Sports Council Brigadier George Brock, and three others testified at the opening session which lasted six hours.

Led in evidence by Counsel for the Commission, Miguel Ribeiro, Brigadier Brock said security arrangements for the match were adequate. He said 68 police personnel were assigned to duty in addition to two vehicles equipped with water cannons.

Witness said he had spotted a policeman with a tear gas dispenser at the outer perimeter of the stadium and cautioned him about the use of the noxious gas. In answer to a question by Mr. Sam Okudzeto, Chairman of the Commission, Brigadier Brock said he did not communicate his position on the use of tear gas to the commander of the police unit at the stadium.

The Acting Chief Executive also told the Commission that he could not say if the stairwells at the Ade Coker Stand where it all started were defective or not since he was not an architect. He said the Sports Council has no medical personnel of their own but they rely on the Stadium Clinic, which is owned by the Ministry of Health.

He also informed the Commission that the NSC does not invite the Fire Service to the stadium on match days, but they had liaised with officials of the Fire Service who told them to ensure that fire extinguishers are placed at strategic places at the stadium.

Narrating his experiences on the night of the disaster, Brigadier Brock said he saw some fans throwing some yellow objects, which he found out later, to be broken plastic chairs. He said shortly after that, he saw the police firing tear gas into the crowd but he did not anticipate there would be a disaster. He added, "I was informed by my PRO that there was a stampede and that people were in critical condition. I called 191 and 192 to request for assistance from the Fire Service and the Police but there were no replies."

He said he then called the Operations Room of the Ghana Armed Forces and spoke to the duty officer to contact 37 Military Hospital and the Police Hospital for assistance. Brigadier Brock summed up the manner in which the police targeted their tear gas "an over reaction."

In his evidence, Chairman of the Central Co-ordinating Committee (CCC) of the Accra Sports Stadium,01 Mr. Richard Quarshie, said the CCC had arranged for 10 men from the Police Panthers Unit to man the Ade Coker Stand. He said the CCC, an umbrella body of the Ghana League Clubs Association, (GHALCA) which is responsible for security arrangements for league matches made the request because of the level of publicity and hype the match had received.

Consequently he advised the Match Commissioner against allowing unauthorised persons into the inner perimeter. Another reason why the CCC requested for policemen at the stands, Mr Quarshie said was that, he was informed by some Hearts fans that Kotoko supporters were making trouble during the match though he failed to inform Kotoko executives.

Answering a question from Professor Ofosu Amaah, Mr Quarshie said though he was aware that Hearts supporters caused trouble during the Gala which ushered in the new season, he did not request for any police presence among them. He agreed to a suggestion by Professor Ofosu Amaah that the policemen detailed to mingle with the spectators failed to take their positions during the match.

The CCC chairman said they had arranged for six persons each from the Ghana Red Cross and the St. John's Ambulance Brigade as stretcher-bearers, while a doctor each from the Police Hospital and the Stadium Clinic was also drafted for duty. In addition the two doctors were to be assisted by eight nurses. Mr Quarshie informed the commission in answer to a question by the Chairman that alcohol is sold at the stadium under license issued by the NSC.

Narrating his experiences during the night of the disaster, Mr Quarshie said he was disappointed that the police deserted the stadium after firing canisters of tear gas, which resulted in the stampede leading to the death of the victims.

Also to testify was Mr Seth Dwamena, Chief Security Officer of the NSC who told the Commission that he could provide the names of the police officers who were in command at the stadium on May 9. He tendered in evidence copies of letters he had written to the police requesting for personnel to be provided for the match and a deployment roaster for duty. Though he said he requested for 68 policemen, he found it difficult to reconcile the number from his appropriation tables. He said the policemen deployed to the Ade Coker Stand did not turn up for duty.

The Commission was surprised that evidence, which could be useful to them, had been erased since the stadium was cleaned, after a Commission was established to delve into the circumstances leading to the disaster.

Earlier the match commissioner, Mr. Godwill Geraldo de Lima told the Commission that at the end of the match he saw a boy pass by with a broken Guinness bottle but he did not question him. He said, he was later informed by one Mama, a member of staff of the NSC that some fans were destroying plastic chairs at the end of the match. The match commissioner said he escorted the match officials to the dressing room only to return to meet a haze of tear gas being fired by the police at spectators at the Ade Coker Stand.

He said as dispensing of the tear gas increased he and a police corporal discussed its severity and agreed that it was "too much." He said he left the stadium and went to Ho and sent his report to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) the next day.

The Commission, which continues sitting today, has invited the Inspector General of Police, the Public Relations Officer of the National Sports Council, the Chairmen of Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko and the Estate Officer of the National Sports Council to appear before it.