Missing award winning poet Gboyega Odubanjo was last seen at Shambala Festival on the 26th August at 4am and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
The poet was due to perform at the festival that day! Raymond Antrobus a friend of the poet saw Gboyega on the 24th August and said “he was in a good mood and excited for the festival.”
Police have confirmed that a body has been discovered during the search for missing poet Gboyega Odubanjo. The 27-year-old was scheduled to do a reading at the Shambala Festival in Kelmarsh, Northamptonshire, on Sunday but failed to attend his performance.
His family have been notified and are receiving support from officers with specialist training. It is not thought that there are any suspicious elements to his passing. A formal identification process will need to take place.
His family said “We believe that Gboyega’s disappearance is entirely out of character for him, and we are genuinely worried for his safety and wellbeing.” The family go on to say “He has a warm and infectious personality, a contagious smile and a heart full of kindness.”
Gboyega Odubanjo has become well known for his poetry, combining influences from his upbringing in East London and from that of his Nigerian culture.
His success has seen awards from Poetry Business New Poets Prize 2020, for is pamphlet “Aunty Uncle Poems”, along with the Micheal Marks Award for Poetry pamphlets, and an Eric Gregory Award in 2021, for a collection by poets under the age of 30 from Society of Authors.
Publishers of his poetry, Bad Betty Press tweeted saying “Hey @Arsenal please RT to help us find our beloved friend, colleague, awarding-winning poet and lifelong gooner. Gboyega Odubanjo went missing from @ShambalaFest in the early hours of 26/08. Anyone who’s seen him should contact @NorthantsPolice.”
Hey @Arsenal please RT to help us find our beloved friend, colleague, award-winning poet and lifelong gooner. Gboyega Odubanjo went missing from @ShambalaFest in the early hours of 26/08. Anyone who’s seen him should contact @NorthantsPolice https://t.co/jOdvXzkQ61
— Bad Betty Press (@badbettypress) August 30, 2023
A statement followed the discovery of the man’s body. Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this very difficult time, and we would ask the media and members of the public to not contact them and respect their privacy.”
“We would like to thank all those involved in the search efforts, including the volunteer members of Northamptonshire Search and Rescue and the specialist search-trained officers from other forces who supported our efforts.”
Shambala festival issued a statement on Twitter, in response to many questions from members of the public, following the discovery of the man’s body.
An update from Shambala Festival. pic.twitter.com/nR2y36IQj3
— Shambala Festival (@ShambalaFest) September 4, 2023
