Court Orders Eviction Of ‘Kingdom Of 3 Africans’ From Scottish Forest

A Sheriff has ordered that a self-styled ‘African tribe’ should beryllium removed from privately-owned onshore successful the Scottish Borders.

The 3 members of the self-proclaimed Kingdom of Kubala person been camping successful woodland adjacent Jedburgh for respective weeks.

They said they were reclaiming onshore that was stolen from their ancestors 400 years agone – but the section assembly said they were breaking the law.

The eviction order, which takes effect immediately, was issued by Sheriff Peter Paterson aft the radical ignored a erstwhile acquisition to permission their encampment by 17:00 connected Monday.

None of the group’s members were contiguous astatine Jedburgh Sheriff Court and they did not person ineligible representation.

Ghanaian Kofi Offeh, 36, and Jean Gasho, 42, who is primitively from Zimbabwe, archetypal arrived successful the Jedburgh country successful the spring.

Describing themselves arsenic King Atehehe and Queen Nandi, they acceptable up campy connected a hillside supra the municipality successful the Scottish Borders.

They were joined by “handmaiden” Kaura Taylor, from Texas, who calls herself Asnat.

The radical claimed ancestral rights to onshore and insisted that the Kingdom of Kubala had been born.

Scottish Borders Council initially evicted the trio from the hillside tract supra Jedburgh successful July.

But alternatively than permission the area, they moved astir a mile further retired of municipality to a woodland adjacent to an concern estate.

According to the BCC, the land’s owners, David and Mary Palmer, successfully applied to the courts for the people to beryllium evicted.

However, Scottish Borders Council said they had failed to comply with an bid to permission the onshore by 17:00 connected Monday.

Jedburgh councillor Scott Hamilton said the radical was breaking the instrumentality by taking up residence connected idiosyncratic else’s land.

He said the landowner had been near with “no option” but to question an bid from the sheriff.

Mr Hamilton, lawman person of the council, said it was disappointing – but not astonishing – that the radical had ignored the ultimatum to permission the site.

“They person rebuffed each accidental to prosecute with us,” helium said.

“We tin assistance them, but we won’t beryllium backmost and fto them interruption the law.”

He added that comments connected societal media by the group, which has made allegations of prejudice against the community, had upset a batch of radical successful the area.

The “tribe” has a increasing online presence, with much than 100,000 followers connected TikTok and Facebook, and has received worldwide media attention.

Speaking to the media astatine the campsite pursuing the order, Mr Offeh said the radical were “not afraid” of the warrant for their eviction.

“The creator of the heavens and the Earth is the 1 with us,” helium said.

“And we are not acrophobic of immoderate the tribunal – the alleged tribunal – has granted.”

Asked if the radical planned to determination elsewhere, the self-proclaimed king said: “If the creator of the heavens and the world wants america to determination from this land, helium shall find us a place to go.”