Self-styled 'Kingdom of Kubala' evicted from Jedburgh woodland moves camp 30 yards onto adjacent land

Sheriff officers and police moved into woodland on an industrial estate in Jedburgh on Tuesday to enforce an immediate eviction order, only for the three people being removed to relocate their camp about 30 yards onto adjoining ground thought to be owned by the council.

Five sheriff officers, assisted by several police officers, entered the wooded area at about 8 a.m. and told the three occupants they were being evicted from land owned by retired butcher and property developer David Palmer. Over the next 90 minutes the group dismantled tents and carried their belongings over a short wire fence into the adjacent strip of land. The site they left was cleared except for the remains of a campfire.

The three describe themselves as members of the self-proclaimed "Kingdom of Kubala". They are Kofi Offeh, 36, who calls himself "King Atehene"; his wife, Jean Gasho, 43, who styles herself "Queen Nandi"; and Kaura Taylor, who uses the title "Asnat" and refers to herself as their "handmaiden." After settling on the new site, the group sat in chairs, sang songs and performed a celebratory dance, witnesses said.

Jedburgh councillor Scott Hamilton, deputy leader of Scottish Borders Council, said the local authority was working to establish who owns the land the group moved onto and would take legal action once ownership was confirmed. "We are assessing legally what the situation is in terms of their status," he said. "It does appear to be another person's land, but it may be in the council's ownership. We are working to establish that and then following that we will take forward legal action." Workmen later erected a fence around the area the group had occupied.

The eviction followed a court decree issued at Jedburgh Sheriff Court that was due to take effect immediately. The civil action was brought after the group ignored an earlier eviction notice instructing them to leave by 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 8. Court costs were awarded to the landowner to cover the sheriff officers' attendance.

The trio has maintained it will remain on the ground. Gasho told reporters, "We are immovable." Offeh said, "We want to sleep here tonight. But we will go where our creator tells us." He also told reporters the group has no money, saying, "We do not use any currency, they can take it from our donations. We are not scared of jail."

The group has said on social media that they are reclaiming land they say was taken from their ancestors 400 years ago, and a Facebook post asserted, "Nobody can stop Kubala on 16 September 2025," adding, "The Kingdom of Kubala can never be destroyed!" Local authorities have not verified those historical claims.

The three previously lived in Stockton-on-Tees. They have said they endured abuse in that area but also received food and other items from some local people. The group posts videos online and is believed to have an account on the platform TikTok with about 61,000 followers and a cash app link inviting donations; local officials did not confirm whether income from social media is being used to support their encampment.

Officials said the eviction process may be protracted if the council decides the new site is its land, because the authority would need to follow the same legal procedures to secure removal. The sheriff's order that prompted Tuesday's action was issued on Friday but enforcement was delayed until the following Monday because of the weekend and a local holiday, court records show.

Scottish Borders Council said it would provide further updates once it had established ownership of the strip of land where the group has re-established its camp and determined the appropriate legal steps.