₦airaland Forum

Despite being a girlfriend of Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, Autumn Spikes got evicted from her North Miami apartment in Florida, U.S., after piling up unpaid rent for six months in 2020, PREMIUM TIMES has found out.

Ms Spikes and Mr Dangote dated secretly for nearly 10 years until recently when the business mogul broke up with her and subsequently sued her in a court in Florida for allegedly trying to extort $5million from him. But while the affair was going on fine most of last year, Ms Spikes was grappling with accumulated rent arrears of $13,230 for the months of March to August 2020, court documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES have shown.

The landlord of the property, The Shoreline at SoleMia, 2301 Laguna Circle, North Miami, Florida, issued Ms Spikes with a 30-day ‘Pay or Vacate’ notice on August 5. Ms Spikes neither paid the debt nor vacated her apartment number 1708. After the expiration of the 30-day notice, the landlord, on September 19, 2020, filed an eviction suit against her at a Miami Dade County court, in Florida, the same court where Mr Dangote would later sue her in January.

PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday obtained the complaint, notice of debt, the lease and other documents filed as exhibits by Ms Spikes’ landlord in the suit that is now closed. The landlord’s complaint in the eviction suit reads in part, “Plaintiff owns or is the lessor of the real property, the premises: “The Shoreline at SoleMia, 2301 Laguna Circle Apt 1708, North Miami, FL 33181.

“Tenant retains possession of the premises under a written lease requiring rent of $2,215.00 per month to be paid the first of each month. “A copy of relevant portions of the lease is attached hereto and incorporated herein as plaintiff’s Exhibit A. “Tenant failed to pay rent for March, April, May, June, July and August.

“Tenant owes plaintiff rent the months stated in paragraph 6 herein in the total sum of $13,230.00 “Plaintiff served tenant notice to pay or vacate the premises on August 5, 2020 as shown by copy or copies of the notice(s) attached here to and incorporated herein as plaintiff’s Exhibit (s) B, but tenant refuses to do either.

“In accordance with Fla. Stat. (Florida Statutes) Section 83.60(2), if tenant fails to deposit the sum of $13,230.00 in the court registry, plus rent which accrued during the pendency of this action, then plaintiff is entitled to a default judgment for removal of tenant and to recover a judgment for rent due and owing costs in accordance with Fla. Stat. Sections 83.59 and 83.625.

“Failure of tenant to pay rent as due caused plaintiff to retain undersigned counsel and incur reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, which tenant should pay pursuant to Flat. Stat. Sec 83.48 and the lease. “Wherefore, plaintiff demands judgment for possession of the premises, rent, due, court costs and attorney’s fees against the defendant and other available remedies in accordance with Fla. Stat. Section 83.625 and for such other relief this court deems just and proper.”

Ms Spikes serially unreachable
Ms Spikes’ consistent absence from the apartment could be gleaned from the affidavits of failed service deposed to by court officers throughout the period the suit lasted.

The period of her accumulated rent and the court action coincided with the grim period of COVID-19 and attendant restrictions last year. All attempts to have Ms Spikes personally served with the documents issued at every stage of the suit failed. For instance, the court’s process server made two failed attempts to serve Ms Spikes with the ‘Residential Eviction Summons’ and the landlord’s complaint on Ms Spikes on September 23and 24.

In an affidavit of ‘Return of Service’, a process server said after the two attempted service, she had to “post by attaching the true copy” of the documents “to a conspicuous place of the property” close to Ms Spikes’ residence.

As there was no response from Ms Spikes, the landlord on October 10, filed a motion for default judgment, a request for the court to deliver its verdict based on the plaintiff’s claims alone. On October 21, the court delivered a default judgment in favour of the plaintiff.

The court, on October 24, issued a ‘Writ of Possession’ commanding the Sheriffs of the court “to remove all persons” from the apartment and restore possession of the apartment to the plaintiff “after 24 hours notice conspicuously pasted on the premises.” But the Sheriffs said an attempt to serve Ms Spikes with the writ of possession failed.

Ms Spikes parks out
However, on October 30, 2020, the landlord’s lawyer wrote the Sheriff Department applying for the cancellation of the writ of possession on the grounds that “tenant vacated.” External view of the North Miami house
Ms Spikes did not file any response in the suit when the suit was declared closed by the court.

Between Spikes and Dangote
Mr Dangote is currently embroiled in a legal battle with Ms Spikes following a dispute over the monetary terms of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) demanded by Africa’s wealthiest man after breaking up with her former girlfriend.

Mr Dangote filed the libel suit on January 20 about 19 days after Ms Spikes posted a video clip through a January 1 Instagram post showing her seated beside the Nigerian businessman with part of his buttocks revealed to viewers.

He alleged in his suit that Ms Spikes threatened to launch “an onslaught” of exposing his “family and private” and social media and media talk shows if he failed to pay her $5million.

Ms Spikes, in an Instagram post, denied issuing such threats even as she said she had rejected $15,000 and $2,500 “insultingly” offered her by Mr Dangote in exchange for an NDA over their affair.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Dangote, through his U.S based lawyers, recently applied to the Miami-Dade County court where he filed his libel suit, to issue a gag order against Ms Spikes.The court has tentatively fixed February 9 for the hearing of Mr Dangote’s preliminary petition.

Jestin:
Apc should continue with the registration of their members but we go change am for them 2023.

Oizee:
dis type of issues could be avoided if only people do thorough investigation about each others family before marriage.....

Ciscogod:
You can only use DSTV for channels, But internet for numerous things

Jones4190:
This does not change the fact that in Australia there are 48 million kangaroos and in Uruguay there are 3,457,380 inhabitants. So if the kangaroos decide to invade Uruguay, each Uruguayan will have to fight 14 kangaroos.

Ciscogod:
Please get more information about your claim,

IPNX or Fiberone can give you such service between 10 to 15k Monthly

privaldo:
Where did you get your data from? Aside Port Harcourt, where else have you been to in Rivers State? How did you come to the conclusion of having the most number of jobless youths?

Rivers State is one of the only working states in Nigeria, and you can't deny that.

Abagworo:
No Niger Delta State is as developed as Rivers State. Even though the people just like other Nigerians are impoverished but the standard of living is one of the highest if not the highest in Nigeria.

The N78 billion spent by the Rivers State government to fix federal roads in its domain has been refunded, Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike, confirmed Wednesday. Wike confirmed the receipt of the cash during the inauguration of the Isiokpo Internal Roads (Phase II) in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state by former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi.

The governor assured the refunded money would be deployed in providing more critical projects across the state to enhance the socio-economic life of Rivers people. He said despite being in his second term, he would continue to work relentlessly, for the interest of the state, and improve its stakes.

He said: “Rivers people! The Federal Government has refunded us the money. I have not touched a dime from it. It is in the bank. I will use it for project execution. “I kept it to tell those who are making noise to know that I am going to work till the last day in office. I will continue to work for the interest of our people. I’m not resting. “They need to know that I will make sure what is supposed to be done for the people of Rivers State will be done. I will persist until we have improved and changed Rivers State and bring it back to what it’s supposed to be.”

Rating himself high, the governor it would be difficult for any other party to take state away from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the record of his administration’s performance. He claimed to have laid a good foundation by completing all the projects that he inherited from his predecessor and would complete all the projects that he initiated so that his successor would have a smooth sail in governance.

He said: “No matter the tactics they deplore, no party can take Rivers State away from the PDP. They have to convince the people why they need their support. It is already known, they (other parties) have nothing to offer. “We have something to offer and we have offered it to the people. They are angry that we are commissioning projects. Our business as a party is to make the other people to have serious high blood pressure.

Wike recalled that he promised to change the narrative of neglect of Isiokpo people by the previous administration and had kept his promise by completing rehabilitation of all their internal roads. He spoke of plans to execute more projects in the area, listing the reconstruction of the Ogbodo -Isiodu link road and the rehabilitation of all internal roads in Omerelu community as parts of the programme.

He said only council chairmen who had so far demonstrated competence in office and evidence of projects would qualify for re-election.
Wike said: “Government is about what you can bring to your people. It is not what you will put in your pocket. People of Ikwerre Local Government and Isiopko, ask your people what they have brought back home for the good of the town.

Obi lamented that the Federal Government kept borrowing in the guise of using it for capital projects to mortgage the future of posterity. Obi said the access roads provided by Wike to the Isiopko people would raise their quality of life. He said: “Accountability in government is the most critical yardstick to determine good governance and to build the trust of the people. For recruitment into governance, competence capacity, and visible performance like we are seeing here today should be embraced.”

Odidigboigbo:
what's the comparison between this and that of Bayelsa? David Lyon deputy has different names in each of the certificates he presented right from his primary school to his second degree and no records of sworn affidavit of changed of names in each occasion he claimed to have change names nor was he able to present the schools that issues the certificate to him in each occasion to testify the reason why he was admitted with a different name and graduated with different name. Obaseki case has nothing to do with the name in his certificate but rather APC claimed that UI VC didn't signed in the photocopy of the certificate he presented and hence, his certificate was " termed fake". He presented the original of the certificate, which he proved that the error was the photocopy machine that cut off the VC signature because the original certificate was bigger than the A4 used for the photocopy, that was why the VC signature didn't appeared on the photocopy. This was further proved by the UI deputy registrar with evidence of other student certificates. So what is the relationship between these two cases?

kaylardz:
Poor analysis!
Ize iyamu case is already in d court of appeal therefore d execution of Benin High court ruling is statutorily stayed.
Moreover, if the federal high Court found obaseki wanting today, he will approach the court of appeal immediately for stay of execution and continue as Edo state governor.
In a nutshell, there is no change of government in Edo state today irrespective of the verdict of the federal high Court.