A British security consultant kidnapped six days ago by gunmen in Somalia has described his release as "marvellous", Save the Children says. Zimbabwean-born Frans Barnard was seized in the town of Adado last Thursday. A local colleague, who was also seized, was freed the next day. The charity said Mr Barnard was safe and well, and in the hands of clan elders, who organised his release. Save the Children said there was no payment of a ransom. 'Relatively safe area' Frans Barnard had gone to the area to see if it was safe enough for Save the Children to set up a new base to help malnourished and sick children, along with their families. But on Thursday evening, a group of masked gunmen stormed the building, used as a staff residence. High walls and a heavy steel gate reportedly forced the kidnappers to climb in through a window before they fled with their hostages into an area said to be controlled by the hardline Islamist group al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda. Anna Ford, Save the Children spokeswoman, said they had spoken to Mr Barnard twice since his release. "We spoke to him and he said 'it is bloody marvellous' - he confirmed that he was safe and well and was confident in the people who were looking after him," she said. "We can confirm that he has been released by his kidnappers and he is now in the hands of clan elders in Somalia. "It was those clan elders who organised his release and he is currently on his way to a place of safety," she added. "They invited us into their community to do the work that we are doing and they saw Frans as their guest and they did everything possible to get him to safety. "It was a point of honour for them to do that. He is now being protected by the local administration and clan elders." The BBC's East Africa correspondent Will Ross said Mr Barnard was freed before dawn on Wednesday after intervention from local officials. He said the head of the local administration had negotiated the release after driving with armed guards for several hours outside the town to reach the armed hostage takers. Adado, which is near the Ethiopian border, is also closely linked to pirate groups who routinely take ships and crew hostage. Until now, Adado had been seen as a relatively stable part of Somalia, with aid groups considering relocating there after being forced out of more volatile regions. Several foreigners have been kidnapped in Somalia in recent years. Most have been freed unhurt. Source: BBC