The Ilorin Shock EPISODE 20

Episode Twenty: Under Iya Oke Ami

While school was finally becoming smooth, life inside our new teacher’s house was another world on its own.

Mallam Babulhameen had three wives at the time I arrived. Each of them had her own space, her own rhythm, her own way of running things. From the first day, it was decided that me and my brother would be eating from one wife’s kitchen.

She lived upstairs.

They called her Iya Oke Ami

the woman who lived above, the woman of the upper floor.

That was where our days truly began and ended.

The upstairs felt different from the rest of the house. The air was calmer. Fewer footsteps. Less noise. From there, you could see the compound clearly, like watching life from a safe height.

Iya Oke Ami wasn’t loud. She spoke softly but expected things to be done right. You didn’t need shouting to know when she was disappointed. Her silence alone was enough.

We woke up early, just like the rest of the house. After prayers and school routines, it was to her place we returned for food. Simple meals but consistent. That alone felt like a blessing after what we had been through.

I watched her closely.

She wasn’t cruel.

She wasn’t overly soft either.

She was balanced.

Sometimes she would ask about school. Sometimes she would just nod and continue what she was doing. Other times, she would correct us gently, the way a mother does when she doesn’t want to break a child’s spirit.

Living under Iya Oke Ami taught me something new:

peace can exist without noise.

From upstairs, I could hear the sounds of the compound below children playing, wives calling out, visitors coming and going. But up there, life felt slower, more controlled.

Yet, even in that calm, I remained careful.

I had learned not to relax too much.

Not to forget where I was coming from.

Not to assume that peace meant permanence.

Because in houses with many rooms and many hearts things can change quickly.

And though Iya Oke Ami’s upstairs felt safe, I knew every comfort in Ilorin came with an unseen test waiting ahead.

To be continued… Episode 21