Hello

I have an apollo fs26se mountain bike where the quick release front lever is stuck, I need to take the wheel off but when trying to turn the lever with my hand or even trying to pull the lever out, it is not moving at all... can I get any tips please on how best to unlock this?

Someone suggested to me that i may need to use a hammer to force the lever to unlock but I have not tried this as surely this will cause long term damage.