Scottish Council pursues new court action against Ghana-linked ‘African tribe’ on disputed land
By BBC
Published
Updated
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Earlier on Tuesday, sheriff officers accompanied by police enforced an eviction order granted the previous week by Sheriff Peter Paterson. The trio calling themselves King Atehehe, Queen Nandi and handmaiden Asnat had refused earlier direct...
Scottish Borders Council has begun another legal process to remove three individuals styling themselves as the “Kingdom of Kubala,” after they shifted onto council-owned land in Jedburgh shortly after being forced off a privately owned woodland.
Earlier on Tuesday, sheriff officers accompanied by police enforced an eviction order granted the previous week by Sheriff Peter Paterson. The trio calling themselves King Atehehe, Queen Nandi and handmaiden Asnat had refused earlier directions to vacate.
The officers, working for about an hour and a half from 08:00, dismantled the campsite, pulled down tents, and cleared personal items.
Instead of leaving the area, the group simply crossed a fence and set up again a few metres away. It has since been confirmed that the new site falls under the ownership of Scottish Borders Council, which has now filed paperwork in court to seek their removal.
The so-called “Kingdom of Kubala” is led by Ghanaian national Kofi Offeh, 36, together with Zimbabwe-born Jean Gasho, 42, and American citizen Kaura Taylor. They claim to be reclaiming land taken from their ancestors four centuries ago and maintain that they have already founded their own kingdom.
Their activities, widely promoted on TikTok and Facebook, have drawn more than 100,000 followers worldwide.
Speaking to BBC Scotland after Tuesday’s eviction, Mr Offeh declared that he had “commanded” the sheriff officers to move their property. Since July, the group has repeatedly defied orders, shifting camp from one location to another around Jedburgh.
Scott Hamilton, deputy leader of Scottish Borders Council, insisted that enforcement was unavoidable.
“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 legal action was initiated by landowners David and Mary Palmer, who went to court after the group pitched tents on their hillside land in July. A later attempt to settle in woodland near an industrial site also failed until Tuesday’s removal.
While the three frame their occupation as an act of ancestral reclamation, the council maintains they are in breach of the law and cannot remain on land they do not own.
