Lawmakers in Nigeria on Thursday approved a bill which bans gay marriage and outlaws active support of gay rights.

The bill was approved by a voice vote in Nigeria's House of Representatives following passage in the Senate two years earlier, the AP reported. It now appears headed to the desk of President Goodluck Jonathan for his signature. It was uncertain whether Jonathan would sign the bill into law.

However, if differences exist between versions passed by the House and Senate, then a joint committee of lawmakers must first reconcile those differences before sending the proposed legislation to the president.

During debate on the Senate floor, some lawmakers called for even harsher penalties for gay people.

“Such elements in society should be killed,” Senator Baba Dati said.

The bill's champion in the Senate, Senator Domingo Obende, has previously argued that the law was necessary to protect children.

“[T]he advent of same-sex marriage will create millions of motherless and fatherless children and this is morally wrong,” Obende said.

The measure also outlaws gay rights supporters from organizing. A person found guilty of forming a group to lobby for or support LGBT rights faces up to 14 years in prison. Another provision of the bill criminalizes the “public show of same-sex amorous relationships directly or indirectly.” Offenders face up to 10 years behind bars.

Nigeria, African's most populous nation with more than 160 million citizens, has outlawed gay sex since colonial rule by the British.