There was a stampede at the premises of the National Identification Authority headquarters in Accra on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, that led to one person being rushed to the hospital.
Confirming the news, Corporate Affairs Officer, Henry Myers-Aboagye, told Citi News that the incident happened at the entrance when the gates were opened on Tuesday morning.
“I don’t have the details, but I was told that there was a stampede at the gate as the gates were opened,” he said.
Mr. Myers-Aboagye said applicants had been urged to be patient at the gate.
“We have appealed to the public that when they get to the gate, they should just join the queue. But they will not listen, and sometimes it is just difficult. We got the police in to help, but sometimes it is just overwhelming,” he said.
As the deadline for the SIM card re-registration fast approaches, the struggle to obtain the National Identification Card has compelled many Ghanaians to throng the premises of the National Identification Authority to undertake new card registration, record updates, or collect their cards.
The Ghana Card is the primary and sole identity card for SIM re-registration and for other official requirements in state and private institutions.
The rollout of a mass registration and issuance of the Ghana Card has been marred by chaos and long queues across the country.
The registration of SIM cards ends on March 31, 2022.