The King and Queen of a self-styled ‘African tribe’ that has been camped for weeks in Scottish woodland have been removed from the area by immigration enforcement officers.
Kofi Offeh, 36, originally from Ghana, Jean Gasho, 42, from Zimbabwe, and ‘handmaiden’ Kaura Taylor, from Texas, were seen being led away by law enforcement early on Thursday morning.
Offeh and Gasho, who call themselves King Atehehe and Queen Nandi of the Kingdom of Kubala, livestreamed the moment that police officers and immigration officials turned up to their makeshift camp, following a court ruling on Wednesday.
They have been living in woodlands in Jedburgh, Scotland for weeks, having claimed they are ‘retaking’ land stolen from their ancestors 400 years ago, while relying on donations from members of the public to survive.
The arrival of police to the camp at around 8am today marked what many locals will hope is a conclusion to a circus which has brought global media, influencers and TikTok sleuths to their small town.
It comes after the trio were served two eviction notices from land they have been occupying since May, with a fresh court order yesterday banning them from reoccupying private land they had already been ordered to vacate.
The members of the tribe had renounced local laws and regulations and vowed to ignore legal notices.
When officials delivered a second eviction notice, social media posts show Gasho said the documents would ‘not be opened’.
They did not attend yesterday’s hearing at Selkirk Sheriff Court, which was presided over by Sheriff Peter Paterson.
In their absence, they were ordered to pay costs of the hearing.
Photographs show Offeh and Taylor, 21, being led away from the woods in handcuffs by officers, with Gasho following behind with a backpack.
Gasho did not appear to be detained by officers but left the campsite and accompanied Offeh and Taylor to waiting vans.
Taylor’s family have appealed for her to return to the US and accused Offeh and Gasho of targeting her online and encouraging her to leave.
She was reported missing by relatives when she flew to the UK.
As a handmaiden, Taylor has been seen carrying out essential daily chores including cooking and cleaning while Offeh sits and watches.
She is also described as being Offeh’s second wife.
The trio, who have posted regularly on social media about their daily activities, have also been seen chanting and dancing while camping out in the woods.
They have repeatedly claimed their kingdom ‘can never be destroyed’ and said they are following ‘the laws of the creator’.
In a post on Wednesday, Gasho wrote: ‘The Kingdom of KUBALA shall be spoken of for a thousand years.’
Their presence has sparked an army of people interested in the case to travel to see them, but visitors had only been allowed to speak to the ‘King’ if they provided offerings, typically of food and drink.
But they have also faced anger amid local backlash, with some members of the public being filmed confronting them.
Gasho has also previously claimed online that locals have attacked the group and burned their tents.
Police Scotland and the Home Office have been contacted for comment.
