Thirteen Sierra Leone soldiers on trial over an alleged attempt to overthrow the government of President Ernest Bai Koroma have been acquitted by a court martial, the state broadcaster and sources said Thursday.

The accused soldiers including a captain, Fonti Kanu, were arrested in August, 2013 in the northern city of Makeni, Koroma's home town.

They have repeatedly denied the eight count charges ranging from mutiny, conspiracy to commit mutiny and failure to suppress mutiny, and have been in detention since that time.

Judge advocate Otto During, in his ruling on Wednesday, said "there is no evidence before the court to justify that at any particular time any of the accused conspired to commit any unlawful act."

He added that "there was evidence, unchallenged by the prosecution, of the whereabouts of the accused at the time in question "that justified their innocence. Therefore the prosecution failed to prove their case beyond all reasonable doubt."

Reacting to the decision to free the soldiers, defence lawyer Robert Kowa told AFP Thursday; "I am the first lawyer in the history of this country to defend (alleged) mutineers who at last have been acquitted and discharged (from court) by a sitting military court martial."

Military prosecutor Vincent Sowa called it "an historical trial," adding that he was not upset at the judgement.

"This shows that democracy is at work in the country," he told AFP.

The Defence Ministry's Director of Legal Affairs, Lt. Colonel Im Koroma, described the ruling as "fair".

One of the freed soldiers, Captain Prince Sesay, embracing his wife and children, told AFP "this is an excellent moment for me. I give all the praises to God for what he has done."

A fellow defendant, who asked not to be named, said "our innocence has been proven although it has been painstaking but justice has prevailed in the end."

During the trial the prosecution side called 14 witnesses while the defence team were able to call on 29 to support their case, according to the national radio-television broadcaster