MANILA, Philippines - A Yemeni national kidnapped in Marawi City last month has been freed by his captors.

Najib Hammed Al-Odaini (not Najibal Al-Udaini as earlier reported), who was kidnapped by an armed group last January 29, was freed past midnight Sunday in the boundary of Tagoloan, Lanao del Sur and Talakag, Bukidnon.

General Rey Ardo of the 103rd Brigade said Al-Odaini was in good condition after his release from captivity.

Ardo said he does not think that a kidnap-for-ransom group was behind the kidnapping.

Al-Odaini calmly faced the media at around 2 p.m. on Monday and thanked those who worked for his release.

According to Marawi City Police Office deputy for operations Insp. Salvador Garcia, Al-Odaini was turned over to Lanao del Sur 1st District Congresswoman Faisah Dumarpa, wife of Salic Dumarpa, a congressional candidate in the 1st District, and to Amerodin Sarangani, a candidate for vice-governor.

Al-Odaini, 30, works for the World Assembly of Muslim Youth. He was held up by 6 armed men wearing police uniforms while traveling on a road near Marawi City on January 29 and forced into another vehicle that drove away.

He had been travelling by car with two other Yemenis and a Filipino driver who all escaped unharmed, according to the police report. He was on his way to inspect sites for mosques and Arabic schools.

Police initially said the kidnappers were likely to be bandits seeking ransom.

Al-Odaini is said to be a member of a charitable institution of the Organization of The Islamic Conference (OIC).

Earlier reports said he is a member of the Darul Ihsan Special Training Education, which donates funds for the setting up of mosques in Marawi City.

The southern Philippines has been plagued for years by armed bands, including Islamic militants, who engage in kidnapping for ransom, often targeting Christians and foreigners.

The World Assembly of Muslim Youth website says that it engages in educational and religious projects. Critics have accused the group of aiding Muslim extremist organizations. -- reports from Trini Velasco, ABS-CBN North Mindanao; Agence France-Presse