Gboyega Odubanjo: Poet missing after Shambala Festival, police say

Mr Odubanjo was last seen at about 04:00 BST at the festival in Kelmarsh, which is about 10 miles west of Kettering, just off the A14

Police are appealing for information after an award-winning poet went missing at a rural music festival.

Gboyega Odubanjo was last seen at the Shambala Festival in Northamptonshire, at about 04:00 BST on Saturday.

The 27-year-old, from Bromley in south London, had been due to perform at the event in Kelmarsh on Sunday, but did not turn up for his set.

Northants Police said Mr Odubanjo is 5ft 6in (168cm) tall, with short, black dreadlocks and a full-face beard.

He was last seen wearing a beige bucket hat, a red and white striped gilet with black clothing underneath, black trousers and dark coloured shoes.

Mr Odubanjo's pamphlet, Aunty Uncle Poems, was a winner of the Poetry Business New Poets prize in 2020.

Currently studying a PhD in creative writing at the University of Hertfordshire, he was also the recipient of an Eric Gregory award from the Society of Authors and a Michael Marks pamphlet award.

Shambala, which takes place at Kelmarsh Hall west of Kettering, hosts poetry performances as well as those by musicians, comedians and speakers.

Northamptonshire Police issued a photo of Gboyega Odubanjo at the Shambala Festival, where he was last seen at 04:00 BST on Saturday