Second eviction notice served to self-styled 'Kingdom of Kubala' in Scottish Borders

A self-styled African group that calls itself the Kingdom of Kubala has been served a second eviction notice after relocating to a nearby site in the Scottish Borders. The encampment was moved following the eviction of the group from privately owned land near Jedburgh earlier this week, when members simply crossed a fence to set up again on land not far from the original site.

Scottish Borders Council said the new camp sits on land owned by the local authority, prompting formal eviction proceedings. The group has been given until noon on Monday to vacate the site. If they fail to leave, council officials said they would consider their options, including seeking an order from a sheriff to remove them from the land.

The head of the group identified the principal figures as Kofi Offeh, 36, who is Ghanaian, and Jean Gasho, 42, who is originally from Zimbabwe. They describe themselves as King Atehehe and Queen Nandi. A third member, Kaura Taylor from Texas, who uses the name Asnat as a handmaiden, joined the couple and the three have publicly proclaimed a homeland claim to land and the birth of the Kingdom of Kubala. The three first arrived in the Jedburgh area in the spring and set up a camp on a hillside above the town.

Description of the group’s emergence has varied, but they have repeatedly asserted ancestral rights to the land and insisted that their kingdom has been born. In a post on Facebook, Offeh stated that he was “not afraid” of the eviction warrant, and the group has publicly maintained that their movement cannot be easily dispersed. The post accompanying their online message carried the banner line: “The Kingdom of Kubala can never be destroyed.”

The second eviction notice follows the removal from the privately owned land near Jedburgh after private landowners sought to end the encampment. The council’s action hinges on the fact that the new site is on municipal land, which gives authorities greater leverage to pursue removal through the courts if the occupants refuse to depart voluntarily. County officials have stressed that eviction procedures are a matter of local law and public safety, and that the council is pursuing a lawful process rather than reacting to any single incident.

Jedburgh councillor Scott Hamilton, who serves as deputy leader of Scottish Borders Council, confirmed the council’s readiness to escalate if necessary. He said the group would be given the deadline of noon on Monday to leave the site and that, if they failed to comply, the council would review its options, including seeking a sheriff’s order to enforce removal. Hamilton emphasized that the council’s action is focused on land ownership and use, rather than on the people themselves, noting that authorities are trying to resolve the situation within the appropriate legal framework.

The saga began when the encampment was established along a hillside above Jedburgh. Local authorities say the initial eviction from privately owned land was conducted under property rights and public safety considerations, and the subsequent relocation to municipal land triggered the current eviction procedure. Community response in Jedburgh has been mixed, with residents urging a peaceful resolution and authorities underscoring the importance of following legal channels to resolve encampments on public land. While supporters of the group have framed their presence as a cultural or spiritual statement, officials have stressed that the encampment policy balances civil liberties with local governance duties and land use rules.

The Kingdom of Kubala’s leadership has repeatedly asserted that their authority transcends conventional property rights and has called for recognition of their ancestral claims. In public statements, they have urged the council to respect their sovereignty and have warned that their movement would endure despite legal threats. However, legal observers note that the enforcement of eviction orders on council land follows a standard process designed to ensure due process, with court orders typically required to compel removal when voluntary departure does not occur.

As Monday approached, officials were careful to distinguish between the group’s cultural narrative and the practical considerations of land management. The council’s aim remained to remove the encampment in a manner consistent with the rule of law and to prevent any escalation that could endanger residents, visitors, or the participants themselves. The situation in Jedburgh is likely to attract regional attention as authorities once again balance civil liberties with regulatory authority in a high-profile land-use dispute.

The Kingdom of Kubala’s fate now rests on whether the group will vacate the municipal site by the noon deadline or whether the council proceeds with further legal action, potentially culminating in a sheriff’s order. Until then, the encampment remains a flashpoint in a broader conversation about land rights, community safety, and the complexities of informal settlements within Scotland’s local government framework.