By admin 
Two people from a self-styled “African tribe” who had been living in a Scottish woodland were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences after officers from Immigration Enforcement and Police Scotland moved in to clear the encampment near Jedburgh, ending a weeks-long standoff that had drawn national attention and alarmed local officials. The group, which calls…
Two people from a self-styled “African tribe” who had been living in a Scottish woodland were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences after officers from Immigration Enforcement and Police Scotland moved in to clear the encampment near Jedburgh, ending a weeks-long standoff that had drawn national attention and alarmed local officials.
The group, which calls itself the Kingdom of Kubala, is led by 36-year-old Kofi Offeh, who uses the title King Atehene, alongside his wife, 43-year-old Jean Gasho, who styles herself Queen Nandi, and 21-year-old American national Kaura Taylor, known within the group as Asnat.
Authorities confirmed that a Ghanaian man and an American woman were detained, and said it would be inappropriate to comment further while inquiries continue. Police Scotland said it had assisted partner agencies during the operation in the Oxnam Road area of Jedburgh on Thursday 2 October.
The arrests followed a Selkirk Sheriff Court ruling barring the trio from returning to the original private plot from which they had been evicted after weeks camping in the Borders woodland.
After being served an eviction notice for trespass in late summer, the group had shifted its camp over a boundary fence onto a neighbouring area owned by Scottish Borders Council, prompting a fresh legal action and plans for enforcement.
Council deputy leader and local councillor Scott Hamilton, who attended on Thursday, described a heavy police presence and said the site was being cleared, adding that the outcome offered “some relief” to residents after months in which the group refused to engage with the council, Police Scotland or adult protection teams. (Sky News)
Offeh, Gasho and Taylor had said publicly that they were reclaiming land in Scotland they believe was stolen from their ancestors centuries ago, framing their presence as a spiritual and historical act and styling their household with royal titles and ceremonial language.
The claim—repeated in social videos and in brief exchanges with journalists—sat at the centre of their woodland occupation and was cited again this week by supporters posting online as officers approached the camp. Local authorities rejected the justification, pointing to civil court orders, land ownership records and safety concerns raised by neighbours. (Sky News)
The sequence leading to Thursday’s intervention began with the group’s arrival in the area around May, according to residents and officials. In August the landowner served notice on the camp, and by mid-September a sheriff granted an immediate eviction order covering the private plot.
When the three crossed onto adjoining council-owned ground rather than leaving the area, the local authority moved for its own action and coordinated with Police Scotland and the Home Office on an enforcement plan. On Wednesday Sheriff Peter Paterson ruled the group could not reoccupy the private land, clearing the way for officers to act across both sites. (Sky News)
Immigration Enforcement officers and police arrived shortly after dawn on Thursday. Video recorded at the scene showed tents, tarpaulins and fire-pit remnants amid mature trees as officers spoke to the occupants. Two people were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences; officials said a third adult left the area voluntarily.
The Home Office reiterated that it would not comment on an ongoing investigation. Council staff began clearing the site later that morning. (ITVX)
The case drew heightened interest after Taylor’s family in Texas said she had been reported missing in May and later identified her in photographs online living as the group’s “handmaiden”.
Her mother, Melba Whitehead, called the Kubala household a “cult” and appealed for her daughter to be returned to the United States, telling broadcasters that “she’s totally brainwashed” and “under someone else’s spell in another country”. Taylor, interviewed by Sky News ahead of the raid, rejected the suggestion that she had been coerced, saying, “Others are not my concern.
People who care about my best interests know why I am here.” Scottish authorities said they were assessing a report involving welfare and safety concerns relating to the young woman. (Sky News)
As the operation unfolded in the woods near Jedburgh, the group’s social media accounts continued to post short videos and appeals, part of an online presence that had showcased life in the camp and attracted donations from followers. In one clip, which circulated widely on Thursday, Gasho filmed as officers entered the site.
Tabloid outlets reported that the arrests and the approach by enforcement teams were broadcast live on TikTok, one of several platforms used by the trio to document their activities and communicate with supporters. (The Sun)
Hamilton, the council’s deputy leader, said the local authority had sought to resolve the matter through dialogue but that the group refused contact and repeatedly trespassed. “They set up camp and claimed they were a Kingdom of Kubala,” he told Sky News. “And this, quite frankly, was ludicrous. It broke laws. It broke the rules.” He said the council had worked with Police Scotland and the Home Office to “ensure this outcome” once court orders were in place. (Sky News)
The trio’s self-presentation has mixed invented regal titles with references to African and Black Jewish identity and assertions of a historic right to occupy land in Britain.
In recent weeks, national newspapers reported that Offeh, originally from Ghana, and Gasho, born in Zimbabwe, had recast themselves online as exiled royalty after a string of failed business ventures, and that Taylor, a former chess prodigy from Texas, had joined them earlier this year after interactions over social media.
Relatives told reporters they feared exploitation and said they had raised concerns with authorities before the woodland move. (The Times)
The clearing of the woodland encampment marked the second forced removal in less than a month. After the eviction notice was served on the original private plot, sheriff officers and police moved the group on, only for the camp to reappear on land owned by the local council a short distance away.
That relocation prompted the council’s legal action and a sheriff’s interdict, followed by the coordinated enforcement action seen on Thursday. Images from the site after officers left showed tents and improvised structures being dismantled as council crews took over clearance work. (Sky News)
In statements to journalists, both the Home Office and Police Scotland limited their comments to process. “It would not be appropriate to comment while an investigation is ongoing,” a Home Office spokesperson said.
Police Scotland confirmed it had supported partner agencies during the operation and said any further questions on immigration matters should be directed to the Home Office. The council said its focus was ensuring public safety and compliance with court orders, adding that it was liaising with other agencies on next steps. (ITVX)
The Kingdom of Kubala first attracted coverage earlier this year through stylised videos showing outdoor ceremonies, declarations of sovereignty and calls for followers, leading to an influx of attention as the camp took root in Borders woodland.
The group’s rhetoric, which has included talk of reclaiming land “stolen… 400 years ago,” drew a mix of curiosity and alarm locally, with nearby residents reporting smoke from campfires and late-night activity and raising concerns about fire risk and sanitation. Councillors said the council’s adult protection and social work teams attempted to engage with the occupants without success. (ITVX)
The arrests on Thursday were on suspicion of immigration offences. People familiar with the investigation said the Ghanaian and American nationals were being questioned about their status and activities, with one line of inquiry examining whether the American visitor may have breached visa conditions by soliciting money online.
The Home Office has not detailed the allegations, and no decisions on removals have been announced. The operation has triggered debate about the handling of vulnerable adults and the balance between freedom of expression and public safety when improvised encampments occupy private or council land without permission. (The Sun)
Court documents and local reports trace a tight chronology through September into early October. The sheriff’s ruling on Wednesday formalised an earlier eviction order on the private land and was followed within hours by the joint operation in the neighbouring council-owned plot.
By mid-morning on Thursday, the arrested pair had been transported from the site and council staff were dismantling the remaining structures. Officials said any personal items would be inventoried in line with standard procedures and that the site would be restored. The sheriff’s interdict remains in place, preventing any reoccupation of the first plot. (Sky News)
The trio’s identities and personal histories have become part of the public narrative as the case has unfolded. Offeh, described in earlier press accounts as a former businessman, began presenting himself online as a monarch and spiritual leader, while Gasho adopted the title Queen Nandi.
Taylor’s relatives in the United States told reporters she had left home following family disputes and that she had been struggling before being drawn into the Kubala household via social media. In interviews with broadcasters, Taylor has rejected suggestions she is being exploited and has described her role as voluntary. (The Times)
On the ground in Jedburgh, the immediate impact of Thursday’s action was practical: access paths reopened, smoke from campfires ceased, and council workers began clearing refuse.
Hamilton said the episode had placed a strain on local services and on patience. While reiterating that agencies had attempted welfare checks, he said the group declined all approaches and “wanted publicity,” adding that the interlinked court orders and enforcement made it possible to resolve the situation without serious incident.
He said the council would continue to liaise with national bodies responsible for immigration and safeguarding. (Sky News)
In the days preceding the raid, Sky News broadcast interviews with Whitehead and with Taylor, alongside footage from the camp and exchanges with the trio.
Whitehead said her daughter had been “lured and coerced” 4,000 miles from home and urged authorities to intervene; Taylor countered that she was acting of her own accord and that her reasons were understood by those closest to her.
The broadcaster said Scottish authorities were assessing a report concerning Taylor’s welfare and safety, a standard step in cases where relatives raise safeguarding concerns. (Sky News)
National titles that tracked the camp’s movements reported that Offeh and Taylor were led away in handcuffs as the operation concluded, while Gasho left the area without being detained.
Images taken at the scene showed a small number of tents and tarps amid the trees and a footpath leading to the camp’s clearing. A Home Office vehicle was seen departing shortly after police completed their sweep. The Home Office did not confirm whether the pair would be removed from the UK and said updates would follow in due course, if appropriate. (The Times)
The case has ignited a wider conversation about small, itinerant groups adopting invented sovereignties and staking claims to property without legal footing, and about the role of social media in amplifying such ventures.
In the Borders, the practical outcome has been defined by the familiar tools of civil law: notices to quit, interdicts from the sheriff court and coordinated enforcement by officers with immigration powers.
The longer-term question centres on safeguarding individuals who become involved in high-control groups and on the responsibilities of public bodies when families raise concerns across borders and jurisdictions. For now, the woodland is quiet, the camp cleared, and two of the three adults who had declared themselves a kingdom are in the custody of immigration authorities. (Sky News)
Officials have not given a timetable for decisions on the detainees’ cases. Police Scotland said any criminal matters would be handled according to law, and that the force would continue to assist other agencies as required.
The council said it would monitor the site to prevent reoccupation and would continue supporting nearby residents. The sheriff’s orders remain in effect. What happens next for the Kingdom of Kubala will depend on immigration casework and on whether its remaining member seeks to re-establish the group elsewhere.
The council, for its part, emphasised the ordinary business of restoring a public woodland to normal use after an unusual and disruptive episode that, for several months, turned a patch of Borders trees into the stage for a self-declared monarchy. (ITVX)