[3] Ceesay as well as the paper's editor, Musa Saidykhan, were imprisoned for three weeks without charge by the Gambian National Intelligence Agency.
[1] The arrests were protested by Amnesty International, which initiated a letter-writing campaign on the men's behalf, calling for their release.
[4] Reporters Without Borders also called for the men's freedom, stating "Despite the promises it gave to the privately-owned press, Jammeh’s government continues to act in the way to which we are accustomed, with brutal repression.
[6] Despite his brief imprisonment and the Independent's closure, Ceesay stated that he would continue working as a journalist: "somebody must do the job even though it is becoming increasingly difficult to do our duties".
Ceesay stated that Daily News management had repeatedly tried to meet with National Intelligence Agency officials to ask the reason for the closure, but none was given.