A 21 years old WASSCE student of the Nasir Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School in Kenema Josephine Jattu Boima and later re-named herself Josephine Bockarie, is currently in police custody for attempting to kill her father and his friend by poisoning their food.
Speaking to the father Mr. Kpuagor at his 31 Mariama street residence behind Eastern Polytechnic College Campus, he explained to Awoko that Josephine Jattu Boima is his first child and she is now 21 years old, staying with her mother Agnes whom he had two children with.
He said Josephine has since abandoned his house for almost one year eight months staying with her boyfriend one Mohamed Bockarie alias Maada at Kpetewoma section in Kenema. Maada he explained has been a shop boy under one Lebanese businessman known as ‘’Uncle Yabas’’ along Lambaya Avenue. He said he has made several efforts to separate them, which at one time resulted in him being assaulted by Mohamed Bockarie alias Maada.
Mr. Kpuagor further explained that his daughter Josephine, last month went to his uncle one Alieu Koroma to beg him to accept her in his home again. Mr Kpuagor said he then yielded to his uncle’s plea. “When she came home to me I used to give her Le2,000 every morning as her breakfast, but two days after I started experiencing some sort of solution in my drinking water, so I then stopped using the water in my bed room.
Last Saturday the 31st May this year she went to the market together with one of her colleagues in my house Bintu Swaray. According to Bintu Swaray, Josephine bought caustic soda while they were in the market and she (Bintu) asked her (Josephine) for what purpose, but Josephine in her reply said she is going to use it later. While on their way back home they came across Josephine’s boy friend Maada who called her on the roadside and asked Bintu to excuse them while they spoke. After their discussion she then joined Bintu and they went home.
After their mother had cooked the days meal, she gave their father’s food to Marian Mattia to take it to their father’s room, but she was then followed by Josephine who asked Marian not to close the door but to just remove the key which she did leaving Josephine in the room.
When Josephine later came out she called one Samai Brima a JSS three pupil at the Government secondary school in Kenema to pour some water on her hand. Brima said before pouring the water he first saw her throwing something into the grass before washing her hands with soap.
They all joined together and ate their meal for that day.
Their father who had earlier gone to Tongo field without informing any member of his household returned around 5:30pm, and met one of his colleague teacher Mr. Edward Kai waiting for him at home. Mr. Kai who was eating chips then requested they eat rice and Mr. Boima Kpuagor requested for the food to be brought out. Mr. Boima Kpuagor was the first person to take a spoon full and swallowed it in a difficult way while Mr. Kai also did the same thing but first commented that the food might be poisoned and he is not feeling comfortable about the food.
They requested for the other food inside the room, all was brought out and compared with the current food and they realised that the food they are eating is poisoned. Both started feeling bad and the father then bought two pints of palm oil, which they drank immediately. When Josephine was questioned about her buying caustic soda at the market, she admitted of buying caustic soda but explained that she was sent by one woman whom they met along the way to the market, but when she returned with the soda she did not meet the woman as planned before, and she then took the soda to her house which she later took to the nearby mosque and gave it to somebody.
The father then went to the police and made the report. He was then issued with a medical form and both of them went to the hospital to seek medical attention. Josephine has since been arrested and she is helping the police with the investigation while the boy friend is shuttling between his residence and the police cell. Mr. Francis Boima Kpuagor is a teacher at the College Practicing School along Combema road in Kenema and scores of residents in the city are making their way to his residence to sympathize with him.