A man who styled himself as the leader of a 'lost African tribe' and set up camp in a Scottish woodland has been deported, the Home Office has confirmed. Kofi Offeh, 36, who also goes by the name King Atehene, was at the centre of a protracted legal dispute with local residents, police, and the Scottish Borders Council after establishing an encampment near Jedburgh last year.
Background of the Kingdom of Kubala
Offeh, along with two other individuals—a woman he referred to as his 'Queen' and another as his 'handmaiden'—called themselves the Kingdom of Kubala. They asserted that they were the ancient inheritors of the land and descendants of 'Black Jacobites', who they claimed were promised the territory 400 years ago. The group refused to vacate the area for approximately four months, leading to a dramatic police raid in October that resulted in their eviction.
Deportation and Aftermath
The Home Office has now confirmed that Offeh has been deported to Ghana. Local media captured footage of him arriving at Kotoko International Airport in Accra earlier this week. In a video reportedly taken shortly after landing, Offeh again identified himself as a 'King' and vowed a 'new wave of the Kingdom of Kubala'. He stated, "All the police are going to serve me, all the chiefs are going to bow before me, if you have a president, he will have to kneel before me."
The Camp and Legal Proceedings
Offeh lived at the camp with his wife, Jean Gasho, 43, who called herself 'Queen Nandi', and Kaura 'Asnat' Taylor, 21, from Dallas, Texas, who described herself as an 'inferior mistress' and a 'surrogate for the queen'. The Scottish Borders Council initially removed the trio from a privately-owned camp on a hillside overlooking Jedburgh in July. However, instead of leaving the area, they relocated about a mile outside town to a patch of woodland next to an industrial estate. After being ousted from that site by sheriff officers, they moved onto council-owned property just metres away.
The council pursued legal action to remove the group, culminating in a joint early-morning raid in October involving police, sheriff officers, and immigration enforcement. All three were led away, with council workers later disposing of blankets, clothing, and food supplies. Taylor was detained by immigration officers but later released, while Gasho left the scene separately in a pickup vehicle.
