A self-proclaimed African tribe remained at a woodland encampment on the outskirts of Jedburgh on Saturday despite a sheriff's order demanding they leave the private site.
Sheriff Peter Patterson issued an "immediate extraction" decree against the group, which calls itself the Kingdom of Kubala, during a six-minute hearing at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Friday. The order requires the trio to vacate land behind an industrial estate known locally as Darnic Parklands.
The occupants identified themselves as Kofi Offeh, 36, from Ghana; Jean Gasho, 43, from Zimbabwe; and a 21-year-old American described in media reports as a "handmaiden," Kaura Taylor. They have been in the Jedburgh area since May and set up the current woodland camp after being moved from nearby land owned by Scottish Borders Council, according to local accounts.
Court papers say the order followed the trio's failure to comply with an earlier eviction notice that required them to leave by 5 p.m. on Monday. Despite the sheriff's decree, the group showed no sign of leaving and received visitors on Saturday, some bearing gifts.
A woman from London who gave her name as "Nash" livestreamed her visit to the camp on TikTok, drawing more than 5,000 viewers. In the video, the group were shown accepting donations including jackets and other items, and several viewers offered to travel to Jedburgh or to supply financial help. One person pledged to contribute £100 to buy a gazebo and other necessities; another volunteer said they could collect people from Manchester and bring them to the camp.
Heavy rain began while visitors were at the site, and those attending supplied waterproof jackets and umbrellas, local witnesses said. The occupants have said they are "not afraid" of the legal action. Mr. Offeh was quoted as saying: "And we are not afraid of whatever the court — the so-called court — has granted." He also said the group would relocate if necessary: "If we must go, the creator will find us another place to go."
The Kingdom of Kubala has asserted that its members are reclaiming ancestral lands, saying their ancestors were displaced from the Scottish Highlands centuries ago. The group has linked its claim to an alleged eviction of "black Jacobites" in 1596; those assertions have been made by the occupants and reported in local media.
Local reaction to the encampment has been mixed. Some residents left offerings such as Irn-Bru and shortbread at the site, while others described the group's claims as delusional. The woodland camp sits on privately owned land behind an industrial estate on the outskirts of Jedburgh, and the court action was brought by the landowner after the occupants ignored the earlier notice to leave.
Authorities have not publicly detailed how or when the extraction order will be enforced. The dispute highlights tensions that can arise when people occupy private land for prolonged periods and the role of social media in drawing attention and supporters to such sites. Court records show the hearing in Jedburgh was brief, and the eviction order remains in place while the occupants continue to occupy the site.