A dramatic police operation has brought an end to the controversial occupation of Scottish Borders woodland by members of a self-styled African tribe, with the entire eviction broadcast live to thousands of social media followers.
The three-person group, calling themselves the Kingdom of Kubala, were forcibly removed from their makeshift camp near Jedburgh on Thursday morning following a coordinated operation involving police, sheriff’s officers, and immigration enforcement officials.
According to the BBC, the operation began at approximately 08:00 with a convoy of official vehicles moving through a pre-established police cordon that had been in place since the early hours.
In an unprecedented move, the group livestreamed their own eviction on TikTok, showing uniformed officers leading a man and woman from the wooded encampment. The broadcast drew immediate international attention from their substantial online following of over 100 000 across TikTok and Facebook platforms.
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Kofi Offeh, 36, a Ghanaian national who styles himself as “King Atehene,” and Kaura Taylor from Texas, known to followers as “handmaiden Asnat,” were handcuffed and detained by immigration officers on suspicion of immigration offences, according to the BBC.
Jean Gasho, 43, originally from Zimbabwe and self-proclaimed “Queen Nandi,” avoided arrest but was seen leaving the scene with her head covered in the back of a pickup truck.
The group had maintained they were reclaiming territory stolen from their ancestors four centuries ago and consistently refused to recognise court authority to remove them from the land.
However, their legal position crumbled this week when Selkirk Sheriff Court granted orders banning them from both private and council-owned land in the area. According to the BBC, Wednesday’s hearing specifically prohibited their return to private property from which they had previously been evicted.
Jedburgh and district councillor Scott Hamilton expressed significant relief at the operation’s conclusion.
“It has been a long effort by the local council, police and other services to achieve this outcome,” Hamilton stated. “It is the absolute right outcome today. The locals have had to put up with a great deal with this.”
The councillor emphasised the impact on local businesses, noting: “This is an industrial estate. There are businesses operating from here – they have been put under a huge amount of pressure over the last few months.”
By 10:00, the police cordon was lifted, revealing council workmen systematically dismantling the camp and loading belongings into refuse vehicles. According to the BBC, nothing remained of what the group had termed their “Kubala Kingdom.”
The group first established their presence in the Scottish Borders during spring, initially camping on a hillside above Jedburgh before relocating to the council-owned woodland that became the site of Thursday’s dramatic conclusion.
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