A sheriff in the Scottish Borders has ordered the immediate eviction of a self-described African "tribe" camping in woodland on the outskirts of Jedburgh, granting landowners a decree to remove the unauthorised occupiers and recover expenses.
Sheriff Peter Patterson issued the extraction order after a six-minute hearing at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, in which the landowners' lawyer lodged an action for the removal of the group from an area known as Darnic Parklands behind an industrial estate. Court officers and police were reported to be prepared to enforce the order.
The camp is occupied by Kofi Offeh, 36, who styles himself King Atehene; Jean Gasho, 43; and a 21-year-old American woman identified in reports as a "handmaiden." They have been living in second-hand tents in the woods since May and were shifted from nearby council-owned land earlier in the summer, according to local accounts. The group did not have legal representation at the hearing.
Mr. Offeh rejected the court's authority at the encampment after learning of the ruling, saying journalists had brought word of the decree to the site. "We are not afraid of whatever the court — the so-called court — has granted," he said, adding, "We are not scared of jail." He also told reporters the group had no money to pay costs awarded in the decree and that they do not use currency.
The legal action was taken after the campers ignored an earlier eviction notice that required them to leave by 5 p.m. on a specified Monday. Conner McConnell, acting for landowners David and Mary Palmer, sought the sheriff's order to remove what the papers called "unauthorised occupiers." Sheriff Patterson told the court he was "happy to grant decree forcing the eviction from the property." The ruling included an award of expenses to cover sheriff officers' costs.
Jedburgh councillor Scott Hamilton, speaking before the hearing, said the landowner had been left with "no option" but to apply for a warrant and interdict after the group reportedly failed to comply with an earlier ultimatum from sheriff officers. "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, and urged residents not to engage with the group while the eviction process continues.
The group, which refers to itself as the "Kingdom of Kubala," has said it returned to Scotland to reclaim what it describes as ancestral land, alleging displacement centuries ago. They have claimed historical links to expulsions from the Highlands dating back several hundred years and cited events from the late 16th century. Those assertions have been reported as the group's own account and have drawn a mix of sympathy and scepticism from local residents.
Some locals left items such as Irn-Bru and shortbread near the camp, while others described the occupants as delusional, according to reports. The presence of the encampment prompted complaints from neighbours and a formal landowner application to the sheriff court after the occupants did not vacate following the earlier notice.
The sheriff's decree allows for immediate extraction and the recovery of expenses by the landowners. It remains unclear when enforcement action will be carried out or how police and court officers will proceed if the campers resist. The eviction follows weeks of occupation in woodland on the town's edge and a brief court hearing that concluded with the order to clear the site.