Sunday PUNCH had earlier reported that parents of these pupils protested their unlawful detention by the police.
The pupils were arraigned after being illegally kept in detention at the Ibafo Police Station for 10 days.
They, however, spent the night at the Owode Area Command of the Ogun State Police on Monday.
The court later freed the 16 pupils but sentenced them to two months of community service in their respective worship centres on Fridays and Sundays.
They are expected to carry out community service at the Ibafo Community Health Centre every Saturday till December 31, 2022.
One of the parents, Mrs Salmat Adediran, appreciated the management of The PUNCH for coming to their rescue after efforts to rescue the pupils had failed.
She said, “We must really thank the management of Punch for responding to our cries when we came to them. If they didn’t respond, maybe out children will still be kept in illegal detention till now. Thank you so much.”
Another parent, Mrs Kemi Lateef also thanked The PUNCH and lamented that many of the pupils have fallen ill.
She stated, “After the were released, many parents had to take their child to the hospital because they were ill already.
“A 14-year-old should never have been subjected to such harsh treatment, it took a toll on my own daughter particularly. I just want to appreciate PUNCH for listening to us when we called upon them.”
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