It was a night of combat chic fashion, emotional reactions, and great entertainment as Africa Magic unveiled its brand new drama series, Lahira, at a watch party held at The Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, on Thursday, March 16, 2023. The highly anticipated original brand new drama series will premiere on DStv Africa Magic Showcase Channel 151 on April 4th, with new episodes airing every Tuesday at 9 pm WAT.
The show follows the story of Lahira, a courageous young girl whose life takes an unexpected turn when her community is invaded by insurgents. She and other young girls are forced to flee to an IDP camp, but their stay is short-lived as the insurgents storm the location and abduct them. Dr. Louis Michel, the leader of the camp and a foreign aid volunteer, is their primary target but narrowly escapes.
In captivity, the fearless Lahira stages several escape attempts and will stop at nothing to liberate herself and the other girls. In doing so, she becomes an insufferable plague within the camp. Meanwhile, a special military team – the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) squad leads the search for Lahira and the girls while Doctor Louis must continue trying to evade abduction.
The series, which will focus on the daunting challenges of terrorism, insurgency, and survival in Northern Nigeria, features a diverse cast of actors from across the country. They include Norbert Young and Gloria Anozie-Young. Acclaimed Nigerian filmmaker Justice Atigogo produced the series, while Peter Fada created and directed the film.
Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria, said, "This story is very dear to our heart because it speaks to a part of the country and an unspoken series of occurrences that no one shines any light on. We hear about the insurgency in the news, but we don’t feel the experiences of those there. I’d like to say thank you to the Nigerian military. We made this happen with their support, and we wouldn’t have been able to pull it off authentically without them.”
The military, who supported the production from start to finish and provided advisory and protective services for the cast and crew while they shot in Nassarawa, also had representatives at the watch party. Brigadier General O. Adegbe represented the Chief of Defense commended Africa Magic for telling the very challenging story of Lahira.
He said, “In those days, you don’t mention what happened in the trenches, but it’s a new military. We are fighting a war where you cannot call the opposition an enemy - we call them adversaries, bandits, and terrorists. I’m so highly pleased to watch the show being scripted and screened. As I’m standing right here, I remember the faces of soldiers who died between 1997 to 1999, and that’s what we signed up to do. We sacrifice our lives to keep the citizens safe. So, thank you to Africa Magic and the production crew for telling these stories and bringing them to life through Lahira.”
As part of the festivities at the watch party, popular media personality Wana Udobang also did a spoken word performance of a poem titled ‘Lahira’, where she talked about the trials the eponymous character will face on the show over the 26 episodes of the first season. The event had notable guests like Zeb Ejiro, Norbert and Gloria Anozie-Young, Bovi, Yemi Cregx, Sandra Essiene, Bade Smart, Sunday Afolabi, and more in attendance.
The series is timely as terrorism and insurgency are causing significant concerns. Lahira aims to shed light on these issues and showcase the resilience and determination of those who fight to protect their communities. The show will resonate with African audiences because of its focus on this topical and relevant issue. Lahira will air every Tuesday at 9:00 pm on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv ch.151).