A Texas mom has begged authorities in Scotland to deport her “brainwashed” daughter back to the States.
Melba Whitehead says her daughter, Kaura Taylor, was lured away from Dallas to join a “cult” named the Kingdom of Kubala, whose leader has just been arrested.
Images shared online revealed that Taylor has been living as the group’s “handmaiden,” near Jedburgh, Scotland, around 50 miles south of Edinburgh.
According to The Scottish Sun, both Offeh and Taylor were arrested at 8 am Thursday local time in a sting operation which involved local cops, sheriff officers, and immigration officers.
Offeh has been arrested on suspicion of overstaying after the group was banned from staying on local government land, but the reasons for Taylor’s arrest remain unclear.
The arrest was live-streamed by Gasho, who filmed the pair being taken away in separate vans.
The group is run by Kofi Offeh, a 36-year-old Ghanaian man who refers to himself as “The King.”
His partner, Jean Gasho, a 43-year-old from Zimbabwe, describes herself as the group’s “queen.”
Both individuals arrived in Jedburgh in May 2025, but claim to be reclaiming land that was stolen from their ancestors centuries ago.
Now, Whitehead is claiming that her daughter was groomed online, following a family dispute shortly after the COVID pandemic.
“They utilised the fact that she was angry to encourage her to get away.
“They used the fact she was penniless.
“They utilised the funds that they had at their disposal to send for her. They made that happen,” Whitehead told Sky News in the United Kingdom.
She also said that her daughter had been “brainwashed” and that she is “under someone else’s spell.”
Whitehead wants British authorities to deport her daughter, who was an aspiring lawyer before joining the group.
Taylor was 19 when she vanished from Texas, before reappearing in an online video where Offeh said he “bought” her for a “price.”
In a social media video posted to the group’s Facebook account in June, Taylor claimed that she had “fled, willingly” from a toxic lifestyle.
“To the UK authorities, again, obviously I am not missing. Leave me alone.
“I am an adult, I am not a helpless child. I am well in my rights and I have the mental and physical capacity to make the best decisions for myself,” she said in a social media video.
“Continue to celebrate in the joy that you have found in my suffering, as you continue to pursue.
“All of you are destined for the vengeance of Jehovah,” she told users on social media.
Offeh has denied coercing Taylor.
“This is the Kingdom … brainwashing is the best thing ever to happen to man if it is coming from the right source. For everyone’s brain needs to be washed by righteousness,” he told Sky News.
Footage seen yesterday by The Sun showed a fight breaking out between Taylor and residents in Jedburgh, as the “handmaiden” punched a woman and knocked her to the ground.
“The group were sitting in their tent cooking food and the next minute something was said and all hell broke loose.
“Kaura was wrestling with a woman who was pushed to the ground before Kofi stepped in between them.
“The group left the woods and, a short time later, a police van came flying down the road.
“They went in and spoke with Kaura but left without anything really happening,” an eyewitness told The Sun.
No arrests were made following the incident.
The Independent has approached Police Scotland for further comment.
