Mr Bio added that security operations and investigations were ongoing. "We will ensure that those responsible are held accountable," he told Sierra Leone television.
Earlier, the government said security forces had repelled “rebel soldiers” who tried to break into a military weapons depot in Freetown early on November 26. A nationwide curfew was imposed as attackers opened fire in front of a prison and a police station.
It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties in the attack on the barracks or in the shooting in Freetown.
The army was mobilized to ensure security in Freetown on November 26.
Video circulating on social media shows several inmates escaping from the central prison. According to AFP, Sierra Leone authorities have not yet confirmed the number of people who escaped. A US State Department report said the facility was designed to hold 324 prisoners but held more than 2,000 in 2019.
Former President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone said one guard at his residence in the capital had been shot, while another was “taken away to an unknown location”. Mr Koroma did not say who shot the guard.
The West African nation's civil aviation authority urged airlines to reschedule flights after the curfew was imposed, while a soldier on the border with neighbouring Guinea told Reuters they had been instructed to close the border.
Information Minister Chernor Bah said earlier that Sierra Leone security forces had made some progress in arresting those involved in the attack, but gave no further details. Sources said three men, two in military uniform and one in civilian clothes, were seen with their hands tied in a military truck surrounded by soldiers.
Tensions in Sierra Leone have been high since Mr Bio was re-elected in June, when his main opposition candidate disputed the vote count. The US and the European Union also questioned his victory.
Previously, in August 2022, at least 21 civilians and six police officers were killed during anti-government protests in Sierra Leone, a country still recovering from a 1991-2002 civil war that killed more than 50,000 people.
According to Mr. Bio, the protests are an attempt to overthrow the government. There have been eight military coups in West and Central Africa since 2020.
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