“Kingdom of Kubala” Faces Eviction After Claims of Ancestral Rights in Scottish Borders Woodland
By: Itoro Etukudo
Self-styled “African tribe” moved off private land near Jedburgh by court order, re-established camp on council land; legal proceedings now under way.
A self-proclaimed “African tribe” known as the Kingdom of Kubala has been issued an eviction warrant by a Scottish sheriff after camping in privately-owned woodland near Jedburgh, Scottish Borders. The trio say they are reclaiming land they believe was stolen from their ancestors some 400 years ago.
The group consists of Kofi Offeh (36), who styles himself King Atehene, Jean Gasho (43) from Zimbabwe, who calls herself Queen Nandi, and Kaura Taylor of Texas, known in the group as Asnat.
Sheriff Peter Paterson, at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, granted a warrant for immediate removal after the group failed to comply with a prior notice demanding they vacate by 5pm on 8 September.
On the morning of Tuesday, September 16, sheriff officers, assisted by Police Scotland, arrived at the woodland site at around 08:00 and dismantled the camp.
The group packed up and moved just a few metres across a wire fence into nearby woodland. The new location appears to be council-owned land, and the Scottish Borders Council has opened fresh legal action to evict them from that site as well.
In response to the court order, King Atehene declared the group was not afraid, referencing what he described as divine support, and repeated the claim that the land was wrongfully taken from their ancestors.
The council, meanwhile, says it has tried repeatedly to engage the group, but asserts they are breaking the law by occupying land without title or permission.
Councillor Scott Hamilton emphasised that no one is above the law and that public safety and property rights must be upheld.
Source: Sky News
