A self-styled “African tribe” that is camping in woodland in Scotland is staying put despite an eviction notice from the local council.
The so-called Kingdom of Kubala was ordered to vacate the land on the outskirts of Jedburgh by 12pm on Monday, after Scottish Borders Council began legal action to evict them.
They had previously been camping on private land a few metres away but simply set up a new camp on council property when sheriff officers were sent in to remove them.
The tribe is made up of leader Kofi Offeh, 36, the self-proclaimed “King Atehene”, his wife Jean Gasho, 43, who calls herself “Queen Nandi”, and “handmaiden” Kaura Taylor, who calls herself “Asnat”.
On Monday afternoon, the trio sat around a campfire singing songs with a number of tents and other camping equipment still on the site, showing no intention of leaving.
Ms Taylor said the “king” would not be speaking to the media unless gifts were brought to him.
It is understood the local authority will shortly seek an order from a sheriff to remove the unwanted campers now that the deadline has passed.
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On Tuesday last week, sheriff officers carried out the eviction from their previous campsite, though they simply set up a new camp on the other side of a small fence.
They had been camping near Jedburgh for the past few weeks and have ignored previous ultimatums to leave.
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Scott Hamilton, deputy leader of Scottish Borders Council, had said that “nobody is above the law and no matter how long this takes you can be guaranteed we will not cease”.
He added the group had repeatedly failed to engage with the council and legal proceedings which would enable an eviction had begun.
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The members of the self-proclaimed “kingdom” have said they are reclaiming land that was stolen from their ancestors 400 years ago.
In a Facebook post on Friday, the group said: “The Kingdom of Kubala can never be destroyed.”
A spokesperson for Scottish Borders Council said: “The legal process to remove the occupants from the council’s land has commenced and officers will proceed through the next steps as quickly as possible.”
