Police have appealed for help to find an “acclaimed” 27-year-old poet who went missing after a festival.
Police have reported that Gboyega Odubanjo, a resident of Bromley, London, who had previously attended the Shambala music festival, was last seen around Kelmarsh in Northamptonshire around 4am on August 26.
He was last seen with a beige/cream bucket hat, a red and white striped gilet with black clothing underneath, black trousers and dark-colored shoes, according to Northamptonshire Police.
Mr. Odubanjo is 5 feet 6 inches tall, has full-face beard, short black dreadlocks, and wears glasses.
In a statement, his family said: “Gboyega is a loving and caring son who means the world to our family.
“He is currently studying for his PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Hertfordshire; He has a warm and infectious personality, a contagious smile, and a heart full of kindness.
“We believe that Gboyega’s disappearance is entirely out of character for him, and we are genuinely worried for his safety and wellbeing.
“We are reaching out to the community, friends, and all compassionate individuals who may have any information that could lead to his safe return.
“No piece of information is too small, and your help could be the key to bringing him back to us.”
Mr Odubanjo’s best friend, Tice Cin, described him as an “acclaimed poet” and “highly anticipated novelist”.
“My best friend Gboyega Odubanjo, light of my life and acclaimed poet, highly anticipated novelist, the best son and brother,” she said.
“We need help bringing him home, nobody deserves to go missing in a society with all the resources to find our loved ones.
“In a society that is structurally unequal when it comes to missing black people (black people account for 14% of missing people in England and Wales, four times the relative population of black people in England), we need to work tirelessly to find Gboyega.
“Help us to find this brilliant kind man, the type of man who you can ring at 3am when your back is hurting, and you can’t sleep.”
The 27-year-old’s writing has been published in the New Statesman, The Poetry Review, and the Guardian.
Anyone with information regarding Mr. Odubanjo’s whereabouts is urged to call Northamptonshire Police “immediately” at 999 or 101 and provide information while using the reference number MPD1/2619/23.
Related News
