A self‑styled African tribe in the Scottish Borders remained in a wooded encampment on Saturday after a sheriff issued an order for their immediate removal from private land on the outskirts of Jedburgh.
Sheriff Peter Patterson granted an "immediate extraction" decree on Friday during a six‑minute hearing at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, ordering the three people who call themselves the Kingdom of Kubala to leave land behind an industrial estate known as Darnic Parklands. The court action followed the group ignoring a previous eviction notice that instructed them to leave by 5 p.m. on Monday.
The group, which identified itself to reporters as led by Kofi Offeh, 36, from Ghana, and Jean Gasho, 43, from Zimbabwe, has been camping in Jedburgh since May with a 21‑year‑old American woman who has been described by the pair as a handmaiden. According to local reporting, they were moved to the current wooded site about a month ago after being shifted from nearby land owned by Scottish Borders Council.
Despite the sheriff's order, the camp showed no sign of dispersing on Saturday, and several visitors arrived to offer supplies. One visitor from London, who identified herself on a livestream as "Nash," broadcast her visit on the social media platform TikTok; the video attracted more than 5,000 views and prompted offers of assistance, including offers to travel to Jedburgh and monetary donations. People seen during the livestream and subsequently at the site brought jackets, umbrellas and food.
Offeh, who styles himself "King Atehene," has told local reporters the group will not be intimidated by the legal action. "And we are not afraid of whatever the court — the so‑called court — has granted," he said. He also said he would accept being forced off the land if necessary, adding: "If we must go, the creator will find us another place to go." The pair and their companion have repeatedly framed their presence in Scotland as a reclamation of ancestral lands, saying their ancestors were displaced from the Highlands about 400 years ago and alleging a historical eviction of "black Jacobites" ordered in 1596.
Local responses have been mixed. Some residents left food and local products such as Irn‑Bru and shortbread at the camp, while others dismissed the trio's claims and criticised their presence. Heavy rain began to fall shortly after visitors arrived on Saturday, increasing the need for donated waterproofs and shelter.
Court records show the eviction proceedings were initiated after the group ignored an earlier eviction notice. The sheriff's "immediate extraction" order gives the landowner legal authority to remove the encampment, but reports from the scene on Saturday indicated no enforcement action had taken place. The land is privately owned and lies behind an industrial estate on the edge of Jedburgh.
Authorities have not issued a public statement detailing a timetable for any physical removal of the camp or naming an enforcement agency. The group has drawn intermittent media and social media attention since setting up in Jedburgh in May, and supporters who saw the TikTok livestream said they planned to travel to the site to offer further help.
The case highlights tensions between private land rights and occupiers who assert historical or political claims to territory. It also underscores how social media can mobilise support and attention quickly in local disputes, as well as the practical challenges authorities face in enforcing court orders when camps attract public support and remain in place despite legal demands.