A Scottish sheriff on Friday granted an "immediate extraction" order to remove three people who have camped in a woodland encampment near Jedburgh, telling the self-described group the occupants must leave private land behind a local industrial estate.
Sheriff Peter Patterson granted the decree during a six-minute hearing at Jedburgh Sheriff Court after a lawyer for landowners David and Mary Palmer lodged an action for the "removal of the unauthorised occupiers" from Darnic Parklands. The order also awarded expenses against the occupants to cover the costs of sheriff officers. Court officers and police were reported to be prepared to enforce the order.
The three people at the encampment, who have called themselves the Kingdom of Kubala, have lived in the woods since May after being moved from land owned by Scottish Borders Council. They include Kofi Offeh, 36, from Ghana, who has given himself the title King Atehene; Jean Gasho, 43, from Zimbabwe; and a 21-year-old American woman identified in court papers as a "handmaiden," who has also been named in media reports.
The group was not represented in court. News of the eviction was relayed to the camp by journalists who attended following the hearing. At the campsite, Mr. Offeh said the trio were "not afraid" of the eviction warrant and "not scared of jail." "The creator of the heavens and the Earth is the one with us," he said. "If we must go, the creator will find us another place to go."
Court papers show the action followed the group ignoring a prior eviction notice that instructed them to leave the encampment by 5 p.m. on Monday. Jedburgh councillor Scott Hamilton said the landowner had been left with "no option" but to seek an order after sheriff officers' ultimatum on Sept. 5 was disregarded. "The council will be supporting the landowner through the next steps and all the additional safety measures will remain in place until this situation is resolved," he said.
The group has said it is reclaiming what it regards as ancestral lands, asserting historic displacement dating back roughly 400 years and referencing an alleged eviction of "black Jacobites" in the late 16th century. Their claims have divided opinion locally; some residents have left items such as bottles of Irn-Bru and shortbread at the camp, while others have described the occupants as delusional. The occupants have been living in second-hand tents and have been reported to sing and chant at the site.
During the hearing, lawyer Conner McConnell acted on behalf of the landowners. Sheriff Patterson said he was "happy to grant decree forcing the eviction from the property." The ruling included the award of expenses to cover costs incurred by sheriff officers tasked with enforcing the order.
The eviction marks the latest development in a months-long dispute over occupancy of the woodland. Local authorities and the landowner have been involved in efforts to remove the encampment, citing the private status of the land and concerns about safety and public order. The occupants say they have no money to pay the costs awarded by the court and suggested donations already received at the camp could be taken.
Police and sheriff officers were reported to be ready to carry out the extraction following the court decision. The pace and timing of any physical removal remain subject to operational decisions by enforcement authorities and any last-minute legal steps that might be taken by or on behalf of the occupants.