A nationwide curfew has been imposed in Sierra Leone following an incident where armed individuals broke into prisons, releasing inmates from several "major" facilities, according to the country's information minister.

President Julius Maada Bio later confirmed the arrest of most individuals responsible for the attack.

In a televised address, he characterized the events as a "breach of security" and an assault on democracy, carefully avoiding the term "attempted coup."

While calm has been restored, the president provided no specifics about the perpetrators or their motives. Tensions have persisted in Sierra Leone since June, marked by President Bio's narrow re-election and concerns about electoral inconsistencies, lack of transparency, and instances of violence and intimidation, as criticized by international observers.

After the attack, the Ministry of Information declared an immediate curfew. Residents across the country are "strongly" recommended to stay indoors and flights to and from the nation's only international airport have been cancelled.

In the morning, the BBC witnessed soldiers in Freetown carrying heavy weaponry in a seized police vehicle and saw others chanting that they planned to "clean Sierra Leone".

It is unclear exactly how many prisoners were released but videos shared on social media show several people fleeing from the area of Freetown's Central Pademba Road prison.

One video appeared to show popular rapper Boss LAJ, who was imprisoned last year on robbery charges, running free.

The BBC has not been able to authenticate these videos.

In August, several soldiers were arrested and accused of plotting a coup against the president.

Eight countries in West and Central Africa are under military rule after a series of coups, including in neighboring Guinea.

The US, European Union, UK, and regional block Ecowas have released statements strongly condemning Sunday's violence.

Noted