The long-running saga of the self-styled “Kingdom of Kubala” took another twist this week as Scottish Borders Council began fresh legal action to remove the group from land it owns — just hours after they were evicted from nearby private woodland.

On Tuesday morning, sheriff officers backed by police dismantled the makeshift camp near Jedburgh, following an eviction order issued last week by Sheriff Peter Paterson.

The officers spent about 90 minutes at the site, clearing tents and possessions. But the group — who call themselves King Atehene, Queen Nandi, and handmaiden Asnat — simply hopped a fence and set up camp on an adjacent plot.

That land, as it turns out, belongs to the council. Officials have since confirmed they have already lodged paperwork in court to pursue yet another eviction order.

The trio — Ghanaian national Kofi Offeh (36), Zimbabwe-born Jean Gasho (42), and American citizen Kaura Taylor — claim they are reclaiming land allegedly stolen from their African ancestors 400 years ago. They have declared the founding of the “Kingdom of Kubala” and built a global following of more than 100,000 on TikTok and Facebook with videos documenting their “royal” exploits.

Speaking after the eviction, Mr. Offeh told BBC Scotland that he had “commanded” sheriff officers to move their belongings, insisting the group would not be deterred. Since July, they have shifted from one encampment to another around Jedburgh, repeatedly ignoring instructions to leave.

Scott Hamilton, deputy leader of Scottish Borders Council, said their refusal to engage left authorities with no choice but to turn to the courts. “They have rebuffed every opportunity to engage with us. We can help them, but we won’t sit back and let them break the law,” he said.

The first eviction was sought by local landowners David and Mary Palmer, who complained after the group set up camp on their hillside land earlier this summer. Attempts to remove them from another woodland next to an industrial estate also failed until Tuesday’s operation.

The council has made clear that while the group frame their encampments as ancestral reclamation, the law does not recognize their claims.

For now, the “Kingdom of Kubala” remains nomadic — its royal household moving from field to field, with the courts never far behind.

BBC