Sierra Leone prison break na co-ordinated attack - minister

Gunmen for Sierra Leone attack one military barrack and free hundreds of prisoners for one "organised and properly planned" attack, di kontri information minister tok.

Sierra Leone pipo spend dia Sunday under curfew throughout di kontri sake of confusion wey occur for di capital city, Freetown.

One BBC reporter see armed men for streets dey sing say dem go "clean" Sierra Leone.

Di attack na "very serious gap", Information Minister Chernoh Bah tok.

"Dis na organised and properly planned attacks on di security and wellbeing of our kontri," im tell BBC Newsday programme on Monday morning, afta goment lift di curfew.

Bah say current and former military officials bin dey involve and some of dem dey for detention by security forces.

Gunmen wey BBC Umaru Fofana see for Freetown on Sunday, wear military uniforms and mask wey cover dia whole head and face.

About suggestions say wetin happun na attempted coup, Bah say: "We don arrest some of di major leaders for yesterday attack and say dem dey under interrogation now by our security forces.

"Once dem fit dey sure of dia full reason... we go make declaration on wed an attempted coup."

Several kontris for West and Central Africa dey under military rule afta many coup wey don happun recently.

Dem include Sierra Leone neighbour Guinea plus Mali, Niger and Chad.

Our reporter say im understand say di gunmen bin dey try enta di presidential residence on Sunday morning.

However, dem waka afta dem fail to take control of one nearby weapon store den overpower President Julius Maada Bio security.

One former President, Ernest Koroma, also came close to Sunday violence.

One military source on Sunday tell BBC one of Koroma guard dey detention.

Hours later di former leader announce say dem don kill one of im guard and kidnap anoda one.

For one statement, Koroma say im "strongly condemn" di violence, wey "report say dem shoot Corporal Eddie Conteh at point blank range while dem carry im colleague, Warrant Officer John Swarray go unknown location".

Di information minister echo wetin President Bio tok by insisting dem don return order to di capital. Di sound of gunshots bin drastically reduce overnight and di atmosphere dey calmer, witnesses say.

Gomen sama curfew

Sierra Leone sama curfew all over di kontri afta some gunmen break enta prison release some prisoners.

Prisoners from some "major" facilities bin get dia freedom on Sunday morning afta di break in, di kontri information minister tok.

Before dis time, gunmen bin attack one military barracks for di kontri capital city, Freetown.

Area pipo bin report say dem hear gunshot for di barrack wey dey near di presidential villa.

Afta di attack di Ministry of Information declare immediate curfew.

E say dem strongly recommend make evri body stay inside dis house.

Di goment also cancel all di flights into and out of di kontri only international airport.

Dem don push di "assailants" comot from inside Freetown, Information Minister Chernor Bah tok around 13:30 (local time and GMT).

E write for social media platform X: "Most of di city dey calm and under control of di state security forces.

"Major detention centres including Pademba Road Prisons bin dey under attack earlier today and in di interest of protecting civilian lives (including of prisoners), di security forces gatz make tactical retreat."

E neva clear exactly how many prisoners dem release but videos wey dem share for social media show several pipo dey run from di area of Freetown Central Pademba Road prison.

One video bin dey show wetin be like popular rapper Boss LAJ, wey bin dey prison last year on robbery charges, running free.

BBC neva fit tok weda di videos dey authentic or not.

Coup for Sierra Leone?

Earlier di president release statement from im house wia e claim say di situation dey under control but eyewitnesses say di katakata still dey go on.

Residents of Freetown report say dem hear heavy gunshots from di Wilberforce military barracks, wey dey near di presidential lodge, early mor-mor on Sunday.

President Julius Maada Bio tok say dem don restore calm and dem don launch manhunt to find di rest of di perpetrators.

A military source tell BBC say some of di gunmen, including di guard of former President Ernest Koroma, chop arrest.

In di morning, BBC reporter witness soldiers for Freetown wey carry heavy weapons inside one police van wey dem cease.

E also see odas dey sing say dem plan to "clean Sierra Leone".

On X, President Julius Maada Bio tok of resolution to "protect democracy for Sierra Leone" and beg im kontri pipo to stay inside.

Di political situation for Sierra Leone don dey tense since June, wen President Bio win re-election - narrowly missing out on di need to do run-off.

In August, some pipo including some high ranking sojas bin chop arrest and accuse of plotting a coup against di president.

International observersdon condemn di inconsistencies and lack of transparency for di count, as well as acts of violence and intimidation.

Over di past three years eight kontris for West and central Africa don stage coups, including neighbouring Guinea wey dey currently under military rule.

US, European Union, UK and Ecowas don released statements strongly condemning Sunday violence.

Profile of Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone, na country for West Africa, wey get special significance for di history of transatlantic slave trade and na di departure point for thousands of west African captives.

Dem create di capital, Freetown, as home for repatriated former slaves in 1787.

But di modern history of di country dey overshadowed by one brutal civil war wey end in 2002 wit di help of Britain, di former colonial power, and a large United Nations peacekeeping mission.

Sierra Leone bin experience substantial economic growth in recent years, even though dem still dey feel di effects of wetin spoil for di civil war.

Di country also dey rich in diamonds and oda minerals. Di way dem dey sell illicit gems, wey pipo sabi as "blood diamonds" for dia role in funding conflicts, na wetin cause di civil war. Di goment dey try find way to spoil di illegal business.

Some ogbonge dates for Sierra Leone history

Make we chook eye for some important dates for Sierra Leone history.

500BC onwards - One successive group of pipo enta Sierra Leone to settle dia, even though e get dense tropical rainforest wey partially separte di region from oda West African cultures.

1462 - Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra map di hills around wetin pipo sabi now as Freetown, e name dem "Serra da Leoa" or "Serra Leoa" - Lioness Mountains.

1495 - Portuguese traders build one fortified trading post for di coast. Nationals like di Dutch, English and French follow dem establish trading stations wey start to primarily deal in slaves sharp sharp.

1787 - Sake of di British defeat for di American Revolutionary War, thousands of Black Loyalists run go settle for Canada, di West Indies or come to London.

British philanthropists establish one settlement for Sierra Leone wit di aim to remove dem from poverty.

British goment officials hand dey inside too, even though dia interest na to resettle a large group of poor citizens elsewhere away from London.

Locals fight against dis first settlement and struggles.

1792 - Dem settle Black Loyalists for Nova Scotia, Canada, afta di American Revolution but face harsh northern winters and racial discrimination.

Philanthropists, help nearly 1,200 wey decide to move to Sierra Leone and build di settlement of Freetown.

1808 - Freetown settlement become di crown colony. Wit abolition of slavery, di Royal Navy begin to return thousands of former African slaves to Freetown, afta dem set dem free from illegal slave ships.

1896 - Britain sets up a protectorate over Freetown hinterland.

1961 - Sierra Leone get independence.

1967 - Military coup remove Premier Siaka Stevens' goment, but im return to power di following year and becomes president in 1971, afta Sierra Leone become a republic.

1991 - Civil war start. Former army corporal Foday Sankoh and im Revolutionary United Front (RUF) begin campaign against President Joseph Saidu Momoh, dem capture towns wey dey for border wit Liberia.

1992 - Dem remove President Joseph Momoh thru military coup wey Captain Valentine Strasser lead. Under international pressure, Strasser announce plans for di first multi-party elections since 1967.

In quick succession, however, di country pass through many presidents afta plenti series of coups.

2000 - UN forces - for di country help end di war - come under attack for di east.

Dem kidnap hundreds of UN troops. Rebels try to takeover Freetown. Dem send British paratroopers to Freetown to evacuate British citizens and to help secure di airport for UN peacekeepers, dem capture rebel leader Foday Sankoh.

2002 - Civil war ends. UN mission say disarmament of 45,000 fighters don complete. Goment, UN agree to set up war crimes court.

British troops leave Sierra Leone afta two-year mission to help end di fighting.

2003 - Rebel leader Foday Sankoh die of natural causes wen im dey on awaiting trial for war crimes.

2004 - First local elections in more dan three decades; war crimes trials begin look into atrocities wey both sides commit during di fighting.

2014-2016 - Sierra Leone declare a state of emergency to tackle di deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa wey persists into 2016, e kill more dan 11,000 pipo for di region.