An epidemic of anti-LGBTQ+ violence is sweeping Nigeria, promoted on social media by conservative influencers and abetted by draconian laws in the central African nation that criminalize all same-sex behavior.

A rash of vigilante attacks has resulted in the deaths of two high school students and the grave injury of several others in recent months, incidents caught on camera, recorded by bystanders and the perpetrators, and uploaded to social media.

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Recordings of the attacks are earning applause and encouragement from many social media commenters.

In July, a group of high school students allegedly murdered two of their classmates after accusing them of engaging in gay sex. Four students were attacked in the incident, leaving two dead at the scene.

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The incident occurred in Kano state, one of 14 majority-Muslim states in northern Nigeria subject to Sharia law. The mob is accused of beating the victims with metal objects known in the region as “Gwale-Gwale,” as a form of punishment for their alleged same-sex behavior.

Eleven students have been arrested in connection with the murders.

Last week, graphic video went viral showing two Nigerian university students who were brutally beaten by a mob after being accused of being gay, according to News.com.au.

Video of the attack at Delta State University in southern Nigeria shows the two young men being hunted down, cornered, and violently assaulted by a crowd of fellow students.