The self-styled “King” of the so-called Kingdom of Kubala and his young “handmaiden” have been detained following an early morning raid on their woodland camp in Jedburgh, Scotland, The Scottish Sun reports.
Authorities confirmed that Kofi Offeh, 36, and 21-year-old Kaura Taylor were escorted from the site just after 8 am on Wednesday (October 2) in a joint operation involving police, sheriff officers, and immigration officials, according to BBC News.
According to officials, Offeh has been arrested on suspicion of overstaying in the UK, while the reason for Taylor’s arrest remains unclear.
Eviction and arrests
Footage live-streamed by Offeh’s wife, Jean Gasho - who refers to herself as “Queen Nandi” - showed the couple’s followers being led away.
Both Offeh and Taylor were placed into separate vans.
The arrests came on the same day the Kubala tribe was evicted from the council-owned land where they had set up camp.
Sheriff officers issued interdicts banning the group from occupying both council and private land across the area.
The self-declared “tribe” had previously claimed they were reclaiming ancestral land allegedly stolen from their forebears four centuries ago, and refused to recognise the courts’ authority to evict them, Sky News detailed.
This eviction marks the second in two weeks, after the group shifted camp from private land to nearby council-owned property in an attempt to dodge a previous order.
Concerns over missing teen
Taylor’s presence in the Kubala group has been a cause of concern for her family in Texas, USA.
The 21-year-old was previously reported missing, with relatives alleging she had been “brainwashed” into staying with the community, per The Mirror.
Councillor Scott Hamilton, deputy leader of the local council, welcomed the eviction, calling it “a positive step” in a difficult legal battle.
He urged the group to seek help, including social and mental health support, but stressed that they had repeatedly refused to engage with authorities.
Offeh’s past and online following
Once presenting himself as a “millionaire entrepreneur” in luxury suits, Offeh’s business history tells a different story.
Records reveal that several of his ventures in entertainment, retail, and property collapsed within years of being set up, reports have detailed.
Since then, Offeh has reinvented himself as “King of Kubala,” leading a group of followers from makeshift woodland camps while wearing rags and a makeshift crown.
Despite his failed businesses, Offeh and his partner Gasho have built an online presence, drawing in tens of thousands of social media followers, according to ITV News.
Their platforms solicit donations and showcase the couple’s alternative lifestyle.
Offeh defended his past failures when contacted, saying: “All these businesses were the road to where we have come.
"It was a journey of discovery.
"We have left the world behind.
"The world of luxury is perishing.
"The world of the wilderness is what awaits everyone.”