A couple who say they are members of an African royal dynasty are attempting to claim a Scottish woodland as territory for their ‘lost tribe’ in reparations for an act of by Elizabeth I 400 years ago.
Kofi Offeh, 36, from Ghana and Jean Gasho, 42, from Zimbabwe, call themselves the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Kubala and are living in tents in the forest of Jedburgh, having renounced local laws and regulations.
The couple have been joined by American Kaura Taylor from Texas, now known as Asnat or Lady Safi, who is described as their ‘handmaiden’ and servant.
Calling themselves King Atehehe, Queen Nandi and handmaiden Asnat, they first settled on Scottish Borders Council property before being served with an eviction notice.
The group set up their base in Roxburghshire, Scotland after having lived in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham.
Offeh, or King Atehehe of the North, has claimed to be descended from ‘the Messiah’, and anyone wishing to engage with the group must offer him gifts before he will see them.
They also claim their kingdom is taking back land stolen when Queen Elizabeth I ordered the eviction of ‘black Jacobites’ from England in 1596.
The trio have renounced local laws and instead say they know only the rules of their God, Yahowah.
They have reported being evicted and even having their tents set on fire, for which they have blamed angry locals.
(L-R) Jean Gasho, 42, Kofi Offeh, 35 and Kaura Taylor are living in a makeshift camp in the Scottish countryside and claim to have set up their own kingdom named Kubala
The kingdom of Kubala is led by Offeh, who, according to their online blog, was previously admitted to a psychiatric hospital
Calling themselves King Atehehe, Queen Nandi and handmaiden Asnat, the trio say they are retaking land lost when Queen Elizabeth I ordered the expulsion of ‘black Jacobites’ in 1596
Photos and videos show the three dressed in robes and performing rituals, dancing at a camp fire and appearing to worship Offeh.
They are shown singing and dancing, as well as chanting and holding large wooden staffs.
But the events leading up to the encampment have worried social services and local law enforcement.
Offeh and Gasho previously lived in a property in Yarm Lane, Stockton before taking to the woods in tents.
In July last year they were charged with child cruelty offences, but these were eventually dropped.
When appearing in court from Low Newton prison in August 2024, Gasho was described as ‘sat making shapes with her hands in the air and waving her arms around’.
In a blog under her name online, Gasho writes that she has had her children removed from her care by social services.
She reveals she is a mother-of-seven and describes how her youngest son ‘was legally abducted by Durham County Council’ in November 2021.
She complained that he had been placed with a ‘Gay White Couple to teach me a lesson for teaching my son that black is beautiful.’
Gasho wrote in a separate blog post that all of her seven children, who were said to be home schooled, had been ‘abducted’ on the same day.
Gasho has accused Durham County Council of ‘abducting’ her seven children as a ‘punishment’
Offeh (right) claims to have taken both women as wives, and will only engage with outsiders once offered gifts
Photographs show how the trio perform rituals and photoshoots in brightly coloured clothing
They are often seen singing and dancing by campfires, wielding wooden staffs and appearing to worship Offeh
The pair shared excerpts online from their family court case which shows there were allegations of domestic abuse and child neglect.
They also wrote: ‘We were told that the reason for the children’s removal was because our dishes were not washed, there were no clean plates, there were no bedding, there were clothes in the living room and spiritual symbols on their faces and walls.
‘There is also a lie from the local authority which says that I said I was going to sacrifice a child and the children were shouting ‘we shall die’.
‘This is false. We were chanting that we shall not die.’
The same blog post states that Offeh – who was previously an opera singer – was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Middlesbrough and was assessed by the local authority as suffering from psychosis.
He said: ‘It is racist and discriminatory for even [sic] Local Authority to write that I lack capacity into my mental health.’
In a Facebook post, Gasho, who herself sparked a major manhunt when she was reported missing in May, described herself as a queen and a high priestess.
She added: ‘I am Mother Nature, the best mother the world has ever known.’
The third member of the group, Kaura Taylor, arrived in the UK from the US to join the couple’s kingdom.
Kaura Taylor, from Texas, has been living with the couple since at least March 2023, and was reported missing in the US
She appears to be living as a quasi-servant for Offeh and Gasho, and performs chores such as sweeping and sewing
The group set up their base in Roxburghshire, Scotland after crossing the border from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham
She is described in various posts as a handmaiden or servant, as well as Offeh’s ‘second wife’.
It’s unclear exactly how long she has lived with the couple, but photos show she has been with them since at least March 2023.
Her family had reported her missing in the US, but it emerged this week she has been living with the couple as a quasi-domestic servant.
Taylor is pictured sweeping and sewing for the couple, as well as joining in photo shoots in which she is sometimes seen kneeling on the floor before them.
In a video message recorded from the makeshift camp, she said: ‘To the UK authorities, obviously I am not missing.’
Taylor is also said to have had her child removed from her care by British social services, the Times reports.
Now living somewhere in the forest out of tents, the trio claim they are taking back land after Elizabeth I ordered the expulsion of ‘black Jacobites’ from England in 1596.
Black people who had travelled or were brought to England were increasingly present in Elizabethan society towards the end of the 16th century, with the monarch herself even having a black maidservant, according to the National Archives.
But in 1596 she issued an open letter to the mayors of England calling for ‘the expulsion of black people from her realm’.
The group say they live a simple life, and aim to fulfill a prophecy to establish their kingdom and bring other ‘lost tribes’ back into the fold.
Offeh said: ‘The prophecy said, after 400 years, when my ancestors are destroyed from the land of Scotland, from the land of Great Britain, they will go into captivity and lose their identity.
‘But after 400 years, I will come and bring them back to the land of promise. I am following the ancestral call and the call of the gods.
‘The calling from our creator to embark on this journey, is the most important thing in our life. It is a journey of hope – a pilgrimage.’
Describing their relationship to the rest of the UK, Gasho said: ‘The Kingdom of Kubala cannot be destroyed, for we are helped by the creator of the heavens and the earth, our God. Until then, no one will be able to destroy the Kingdom of Kubala.
‘We follow the laws of the creator – everything belongs to the ones who made it.
‘We do not believe that any authority owns the land. The earth belongs to the father.
‘We do not know about any eviction – all we know is that we are here to stay and establish our authority and power, just like our ancestors did.’
A spokesperson for Scottish Borders Council said: ‘We have been working with Police Scotland in relation to an illegal encampment by three occupants on Council-owned property at Hartrigge near Jedburgh.
‘This has included the provision of advice and information about housing options and other support services.
‘A notice to eject was subsequently served by Sheriff Officers on 30 July following which the group vacated the site.
‘The site itself has since been cleared.’
A source said the trio are believed to have moved to a site that is not council owned.
A spokesperson added: ‘This has included the provision of advice and information about housing options and other support services.’
Durham County Council has been contacted for comment.
