A senior Ukrainian military officer has warned that Britain is dangerously unprepared for a major war and could pay a “high price” if Russian President Vladimir Putin expands the conflict in Ukraine to Europe.

Viktor Andrusiv, a major in the Ukrainian armed forces and former presidential adviser, said the UK must urgently learn from Ukraine’s experience before it is too late. His warning comes amid growing concern across NATO that Russia could escalate hostilities if diplomatic efforts fail.

Speaking against the backdrop of renewed calls by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for Europe to prepare for war “like our grandparents endured,” Andrusiv said the greatest danger lies in disbelief. According to him, many people in Western countries still struggle to accept that large-scale war on European soil is a real possibility.

“The biggest problem is that people don’t believe this can happen,” Andrusiv said. He noted that Ukraine faced a similar mindset before Russia’s full-scale invasion, when the idea of tank columns and missile strikes seemed unthinkable in the 21st century.

Putin has recently warned that Russia is prepared to go to war with Europe if peace talks over Ukraine collapse, raising fears of a direct confrontation with NATO. Such a scenario would automatically draw in the UK under the alliance’s collective defence commitments.

British defence chiefs have already cautioned that the country’s armed forces have been “hollowed out” after decades of reduced military spending following the Cold War. Andrusiv agreed with that assessment, arguing that the UK’s military structure and equipment are outdated.

“I am sure you are not prepared,” he said. “That doesn’t mean you would lose for sure, but if you are not prepared, you will pay a higher price.”

A young widow in Plateau State has raised the alarm over persistent death threats allegedly issued by terrorists who killed her husband and are now pressuring her to marry one of their leaders or risk being murdered alongside her children.

The woman, who identified herself simply as Nanbam, disclosed her ordeal on Friday during an interview with the international non-governmental organisation, Equipping the Persecuted. She said her husband was among 40 residents killed during a brutal attack on Mushere community in Bokkos Local Government Area in August.

According to Nanbam, the assailants stormed the village, surrounded residents and carried out mass killings. She alleged that her husband was gruesomely murdered, claiming that his attackers mutilated his body before disposing of it in a nearby pond.

She further revealed that shortly after the attack, the same group began contacting her, insisting that their leader wanted to marry her. Nanbam said the calls started on the very day her husband was killed, allegedly made using her late husband’s phone number.

“They told me their leader wanted to marry me,” she said, adding that she rejected the proposal outright, stating she would never marry someone responsible for killing her husband and the father of her children.

Nanbam alleged that since then, the threats have intensified, with the callers warning that she and her three children would be killed if she continued to refuse the marriage and decline conversion to Islam. She said the callers frequently use different phone numbers, making it difficult to block or trace them.

In a bid to escape the threats, the widow said she relocated to her hometown in Mangu Local Government Area. Despite changing her SIM card on the advice of family members, she said the calls resumed weeks later, with the callers claiming they had tracked her location and threatening to attack not only her but also her children and extended family members.

She described her situation as desperate, noting that she is still grieving her husband while struggling to raise her children alone amid constant fear for their lives.

Nanbam also alleged that her attempt to seek help from the police yielded no meaningful response. She claimed officers told her the callers could not be traced due to the use of multiple phone numbers and allegedly asked her to provide money to support tracking efforts, a request she said she could not afford.

“I don’t know where to run to anymore,”she lamented, appealing for urgent help and protection as she fears that her life and those of her children remain in imminent danger.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has confirmed that the presidential directive mandating the withdrawal of police officers assigned to Very Important Personalities, VIPs, as part of efforts to curb rising insecurity in the country does not extend to judges.

This clarification was provided on Saturday by the CJN’s media aide, Tobi Soniyi.

The announcement follows concerns raised earlier by the Chief Judge of Taraba State, Justice Joel Agya, who reported that police orderlies attached to judges in the state had been withdrawn, describing the move as a serious security risk.

Justice Agya explained that judges, along with governors, were explicitly exempted from the security withdrawal order, in recognition of their statutory right to police protection.

However, he noted that police officers assigned to judicial officers across Taraba were removed on December 8 without any prior notification.

“Removing security details from judges handling sensitive criminal, political, terrorism, and corruption cases exposes them to considerable danger,” Justice Agya said.

He further emphasised that stripping judicial officers of their protection could compromise judicial independence.

“Judicial independence is not only about freedom from interference but also about safeguarding judges from intimidation. Without security personnel, courtrooms may become unsafe, and judicial proceedings could be disrupted,” he added.

Responding to the concerns, Tobi Soniyi stated that the CJN’s office was not aware of any withdrawal of police orderlies from judges and questioned why such action would have been taken, given that judges are exempted from the directive.

Soniyi also noted that other judges had not reported similar issues regarding the removal of their security personnel.