Self-Proclaimed African ‘Tribe’ Living In Scottish Forest Arrested Over Immigration Offences

The three were initially camping on private property but were served an eviction notice in August. (AFP file photo)

Two individuals have been arrested on suspicion of immigration offences after a group calling itself the “Kingdom of Kubala” was evicted from a forest near Jedburgh, close to the England-Scotland border.

The group, which had been camping in woodland since May, claims to represent a self-declared African tribe reclaiming land allegedly taken from their ancestors 400 years ago.

The trio includes Ghanaian national Kofi Offeh, 36, who styles himself as “King Atehene”; his wife Jean Gasho, 43, a US citizen who goes by “Queen Nandi”; and 21-year-old Kaura Taylor, referred to as “handmaiden Asnat”.

The three were initially camping on private property but were served an eviction notice in August. They later moved to a neighbouring plot owned by the Scottish Borders Council by crossing a fence, prompting legal action, Sky News reported.

On Wednesday, Selkirk Sheriff Court ruled that the group could not return to the original land. The following day, officers from Immigration Enforcement and Police Scotland visited the site, where two members of the group — believed to be a Ghanaian man and an American woman — were taken into custody.

A Home Office spokesperson confirmed the arrests but declined to provide further details, citing an ongoing investigation.

Scott Hamilton, deputy leader of the Scottish Borders Council, told Sky News that the group had broken laws and ignored council engagement efforts.

“They set up camp and claimed they were a Kingdom of Kubala. And this, quite frankly, was ludicrous,” said Hamilton. “It broke laws. It broke the rules. And as landowners we took action, as well as private landowners, to ensure this outcome today.”

Hamilton added that the trio refused to cooperate with local authorities, police, and adult protective services throughout the dispute, and that “all they wanted was publicity.”